The Half-Blood Games
by lArgetl
Summary: The rebellion failed. The Mockingjay squashed. But the Capital realized that they couldn't control the entire population. So they spread rumors, of a group made up of traitors, whose sole purpose was to disrupt society. The Demigods. The districts believed these rumors, needing someone to blame. Not everyone was convinced, but the Half-Blood Games began its torturous reign.
1. Chapter 1-The Tributes

**SO! This first chapter will be about the tributes in the first Half-Blood Games, which, if you didn't read my profile, is about Demigods fighting for their lives in a Hunger Games style event. The way this works is that I make some Oc's of my own, to manage the games and to spice it up a bit, and others post their own OCs for the remaining twelve spots. Below, I will describe and introduce all of the tributes, and each further chapter will go through the process leading up to the games, but the main bulk will be during the Games. So! Enjoy!**

* * *

 ** _District 1_**

District 1 and District 2 were both the pride of the Capital. Home to some of the most vicious tributes, the Careers, these districts always led to interesting games. Except...the ones who can be more sincere and more relatable than even those from the outer districts. The female tribute reaped this year was not a typical career, sharing her atypical-ness with many of the other careers this particular year. Faith Evans was a young abnormality living in District 1, a 12 year old daughter of Poseidon. This was rare, as many of the children in this district and District 2 were sons and daughters of Pluto or Hades. Now, people tend to fear those who are different. It is only human nature, that those we fear ought to be destroyed. And so, for the first time in in over 50 years, there were no volunteers from District 1 when Faith Evans was reaped. Faith Evans was a small girl, with sea-green eyes, dark hair, and freckled skin. She could control water around her, breathe in it, and swim wonderfully. If only she had been born in District 4, where she would have been accepted. But, although small, she had some advantages. She was agile and smart, with good aim with distance weapons. She had a special pen that she could never lose; one that turned into a golden weapon when needed. This was great of course. But no matter her strengths, Faith had weaknesses that might cost her the games. She was cowardly. She didn't want to kill, and she if couldn't kill in the Half-Blood Games, then she might not stand a chance. If only she could remember her life before it was forgotten when she was 7. Maybe she'd find that she might have talents she never could have dreamed of.

Her partner was another abnormality, but it was not because of his personality. As a son of Apollo, Fuller did not fit with the parentage of many others, but as a Son of Apollo, he was striking. He had wavy blond hair and blue eyes, a perfectly tanned body and many other good features. He was a somewhat sweet guy, at least to other careers. Never having felt his own kind turn on him, he agreed with everything that was said about the outer districts. When he was reaped for the Half-Blood Games, no one volunteered, because so many people knew he wanted to win and they had so much respect for him. They let him live his dream. His main weapon of choice was a bow and arrow, but he was proficient in a variety of other weapons too, including axes, swords, and spears. He was a bit too confident though, and too loyal for his own good.

* * *

 _ **District 2**_

District 2 was, like District 1, home to many children of the god of the underworld, but it was also home to many children of war, as District 2 was in charge of war. But again, we find ourselves with an odd tribute. A son of Hecate, Markus was, like Faith, different and bullied because of it. His father died when he was only 6 and he needed to master his abilities to survive on the streets. He became very good at controlling the Mist and often used it to hide from his bullies. When he was 10, he found a young boy around the age of 6 who went by the name of Cole. He was a son of Khione, the goddess of ice. Thus, he was a very emotionless and expressionless kid. He had feelings of course, but he kept them inside and his intents hidden. Just like how ice can be both beautiful and evil, so was Cole. He could be sweet or manipulative. But he looked up to Markus, and the brotherly bond they had meant a lot to both of them. Markus was a decent guy and unlike other careers, acted more like an outer district kid because of his childhood on the streets. He had blond, wavy hair and eyes that, depending on the light, could look either gold or purple, and everything in between. He was anxious around blood and didn't like killing, but he would find he had a much stronger resolve in the games. Although he grew up on the streets, he often went to the free sessions at the career academy, when there were no trainers. He was very good at most weapons, excluding bows, tridents, and daggers for some reason.

His district partner was not a very noteworthy girl. A daughter of Ares named Jenna, she was quick to anger and quick to calm. She was not very intelligent and never thought that she would ever be in the Half-Blood Games. Even if she was in them, she believed she could handle herself. Based on this fearless outlook of the games, she never went to the career academy. In her opinion, it was waste of time that could be better spent with her friends. At the reaping, she was on a phone her rich parents bought for her when the tribute was called up. When the announcer asked for volunteers, her "friends" shook her out of her zone and she jumped. Only hearing the word "volunteer", she squeaked and shouted "Volunteer!". Thus, she was pushed to the stage and, because of a misunderstanding, became the female tribute of District 2. She had few strengths, other than her natural talent at using a spear. Jenna was an over-confident, stupid girl, whose chances for winning the game looked slim.

* * *

 _ **District 3**_

Ash Ratter was the unlucky tribute to be picked for District 3. The interesting thing part, she wasn't actually from District 3. Ash had a very unique backstory, which started with her exceptional family. Her mother had one child with the sun god Apollo, a girl named Lex. Later, their mother had Ash with the forge god, Hephaestus. A final child with Hades was named Lucifer. Their family started off living in poverty, until Ash's mother, Tamira, married a rich son of Aphrodite. In District 10, they lived a happy life, when it was suddenly ended by the murder of Tamira. Ash was just 10 and Lucifer 7 when she was shot by peacekeepers after an accident where 3 prized horses were lost. Shocked, Tamira's husband, Thomas wanted to escape District 10 to go to a better one. They attempted to escape to District 3. While trying to escape, they were stopped by an older victor from 10. This awful victor trapped them and contacted the Peacekeepers, but in doing so provided a chance for the family to escape. The Peacekeepers arrived, and Thomas was shot and killed while trying to defend them. Lex was shot as well, and later died from her injuries. Ash and her younger brother Lucifer, escaped and eventually made it to 3, where they were mistaken for orphans and brought to an orphanage. It was there that they met Aurora Black, Lucifer's half sister. The three of them stuck together and looked out for each other to get by. They were happy again, until the worst happened. Aurora was reaped for the Half-Blood Games. After much begging from Lucifer, Ash volunteered for Aurora. The red-head volunteer was unsure of what would become of her, but she was determined to come home to see her brother again. Ash was lucky to be a child of her father. She, like Leo Valdez, had the gift of fire. She was sure this would help her, as she could cook her food without others noticing and she would always have a weapon. Ash was good with swords, a strong girl, and was even clever. A weakness of hers, if you could call it that, was that she was too kind.

Her district partner was boy named Aston Blake, a son of Apollo. Surprisingly, he was a career. Insensitive and apathetic, he looked up to the career victors and trained with whatever weapons he could get his hands on. He was especially good with a bow and medicines. He had a sense of humor and was average in terms of intelligence. When the tributes trained, he met up with the careers and after seeing his skill with weapons, they gladly accepted him, as they were short a few members. He would be the final member of the careers, making them a small group this year of only three.

* * *

 _ **District 4**_

District 4 is home to the highest percentage of children of Poseidon in all the districts. Naturally, the female tribute was a daughter of Poseidon. A true career, Aria Meyers was a confident, clever, educated, and well-rounded tribute. As a child, her family bought her a tutor to teach her everything there was to know and she absorbed everything she heard. When she was old enough, she trained in the career academy and became very good with her father's preferred weapon: a trident. Of course, she also practiced in other weapons such as an axe and knives. She also trained privately under the instruction of another child of Poseidon, giving her complete control over her powers. Like the rest of her half-siblings, she could swim very well, breathe under-water, and control water. She could also fish, hunt, climb and sprint very well, surpassing all of her peers. A very driven girl, this 18 year old was a star destined to win.

Her district partner was not so extraordinary. A 14 year old son of Aphrodite with charmspeak, he manipulated his teachers into giving him good grades to appease his family, becoming cunning but ignorant of most things. He trained with his friends occasionally, but even this sparse training led to him mastering the arts of the sword. Like most careers, this cocky boy, Noah, was sure he could win the games with his talents, in his case, his voice. He volunteered, like Aria, and was prepared to win, if not for the district then for himself. He had only one problem; he was squeamish. But his confidence was overpowering and he was sure that wouldn't be a problem.

* * *

 _ **District 5**_

Ellie was the 14 year old female tribute from District 5. A daughter of Poseidon with the typical powers, she lived with her mother and younger sister. District 5 was not a district known for it's victors, and therefore Ellie was terrified of what her fate would be. Her sister and mother were the world to her and she didn't want them to see her fail- which, she was sure would ultimately happen. Ellie was a tall, dark haired girl with green eyes and a soft personality that matched her "Nice Girl" appearance. She was shy, kind, and, as mentioned above, terrified of dying and what she would become in the games. She wasn't helpless, however. She, as she found out in training, had a natural talent at using tridents, and swords, and even daggers. She was tall, fast, and clever, giving her some advantages over many of the tributes.

Delano was her district partner, and was a son of Athena. He was smart, but what he had in brains, he lacked in strength. He hoped his mind could overcome the physical disadvantage, but he knew, statistically, that sometimes brawn DID beat brains. Therefore, this prideful tribute asked his sister to train him. Her, being a daughter of Mars, was happy to educate him in the art of tactics, although she also helped him train with a sword. He was prepared for the Hunger Games, even though he knew that the odds of him being reaped were slim. When the reaping did come though, Delano was shocked to find that he was to become the male tribute. But, he did not let his surprise show. He walked calmly to the stage and put on a poker face. No potential sponsors could possibly know, that even when he looked so sure of his own abilities, he was really destroyed inside.

* * *

 _ **District 6**_

District 6, like 10, did not have a typical demigod. Alex Mint was fairly normal, as a 15 year old daughter of Hermes. She was cunning, fast, manipulative, and sneaky. She was very strategic and was planning on making allies with whoever would ally with her. The strange thing about her, however, was that she was blessed by both Athena and Ares, which only emphasized her natural abilities. When she was reaped, she took it in stride, putting a smile on her face to appease the Capital. She could do this. If only she could overcome or hide her weaknesses. Claustrophobia should not be a problem. It could not be a problem, because she would never lose.

DJ was Alex's district partner. He lived a simple live, with average grades, average parents, the average amount of friends, siblings, and talents. He knew this and was fine with it. He even liked being average. He would live the average life until he died an average death and everything in between was planned out. He wasn't smart enough to realize that things are bound to veer off plan. In his ideal life, only one thing left him not-average. He was a child of Aphrodite. And he was reaped for the Hunger Games. It might have occurred to someone smarter that they could use their charmspeak to win, but DJ used it sparingly. He used it once before the games, and it wasn't even to gain support. As it was, this average citizen might end up as an average tribute as well.

* * *

 _ **District 7**_

District 7 was home to a pair of interesting tributes, a brother-sister pair who were sure that one of them would win. The first of the fraternal twins was a boy named Jake, a son of Hades who always looked out for his sister. He could shadow travel and raise the dead. He was also excellent with a sword and a outgoing, nice person. He went into the games knowing that he would do anything to let his sister win, even dying. Jake and his sister lived on the streets most of their lives, after their mother passed when they were 7. The now 14 year olds lived completely alone in the woods, although Jake occasionally went to the market to trade their game for supplies. This resulted in Jake being very social, and his sister, Minty, almost never speaking. When Minty was reaped, Jake was horrified, but kept himself from volunteering because he didn't want it to come down to them in the finale. But his choice did not matter when he was reaped after her. One could not tell all of that from the pair when they were reaped, nor could you even tell they were related. They kept their faces expressionless, and it was only at their interviews that the public realised they were twins.

Minty was bit different than Jake. A daughter of Pluto (which is possible, as fraternal twins can have different fathers), Minty could control the earth around her and raise poison gemstones from the ground. She was considerably paler than Jake, had dark eyes and jet black hair. She was kind-hearted, however, and was surprisingly gifted at botany and medicine, as she would practice and experiment with plants while she was in the forest. Her and her brother were very nice people, but were familiar with death and wouldn't hesitate to kill when need be.

* * *

 ** _District 8_**

Markus had a sibling in the Half-Blood Games, one he didn't know about. Lilith Kye was born in District 8 as a daughter of Hecate and a legacy of Athena. The only tribute in the games and in her district that was both a legacy and a demigod, Lilith was incredibly powerful. She could control the Mist, like some of the other tributes, and was extremely intelligent, unlike many others. Raised as the mayor's daughter, she lived a rather luxurious lifestyle for a district like 8. She was given tutors from the Capital, was trained in many martial arts, and was even personally taught magic and Mist manipulation by Hecate. All this gave her the confidence she needed to win for her district. She volunteered, and became the District's best hope. No one even noticed her district's male partner that year. She was beautiful, smart, and was almost like a career from an outer district. Her time in the games was sure to be interesting, and certainly shocked many.

Kye's brilliance masked her partner, whom many forgot over the course of the games. He was a young boy about 13 years old, and was a son of Zeus named Jason. He was blond with blue eyes, but not much of a fighter. His backstory was simple, and normal for his district. He was raised by his family in a small home, and at 12, was sent to get tesserae. He was reaped and cried, just as many normal tributes do. He wasn't very remarkable and his chances of winning were slim. He ended up shocking many, just like Kye.

* * *

 _ **District 9**_

District 9 is the district meant to cultivate grains. Like District 11, this led to many people living in District 9 being either legacies of Demeter, children of Demeter, or related to Demeter in some way. It was the norm to see farmers using their magic to help their plants and it was even possible to see nymphs and other nature creatures around. Therefore, our tribute stuck out like a sore thumb among all the greens. Briana Odson was born a daughter of Hermes to a normal, fully mortal mother. She and her mother lived on the tesserae Briana collected, but only barely. Her mother had been in an accident a few years prior and was partially paralyzed, moving and speaking slowly. Her daughter had to grow up and care for her mother at a young age, so even before the age of 12, she would steal and lie her way into the riches' pockets, taking money and food to feed herself and her mother. Of course, being a child of Hermes certainly helped her in this process. She had the gift of superspeed, allowing her to slip by faster than any average pickpocketer. She was also a pathological liar and lied very often and convincingly. A kleptomaniac in society is often seen as a nuisance, but in the Half-Blood Games, being one could save 17 year old Briana's life.

Her district partner was not, as you might think, a child of Demeter. His parentage was unknown, but he could see monsters and had a variety of talents that could be attributed to different gods. He lived in an orphanage his whole life and was often teased about his ignorance to his heritage. He would often stay up at night and think of ways to get revenge and, when he grew tired of that, think of ways he could win the games. Of course, had he thought about it, he would quickly realize that these nightly thoughts narrowed down his possible godly parents down to three, and the fact that he didn't think about it narrowed it down to two. Growing up the way he did, Nason had a steely resolve, and at 16, was prepared to kill in the games, should it come to that. At 17, he was faced with actually doing it, as he was reaped for the Capital's favorite reality show.

* * *

 ** _District 10_**

Now, District 10 was the District that handled livestock. Thus, there was no "normal" demigod. Kara Shade was about as normal as a tribute could be, at least one from her district. Raised in a semi-poor household with her father, who was head of the cattle fields, she was often exposed to animals and found her gift through them. A child of Hecate, she had magic. Oddly, she could not control the mist. Around animals, she could cast simple spells to calm them or herd them and she often helped the other ranchers with this ability. Because of this, she was viewed fondly throughout the district. She had many friends and many adults often helped her more than usual, as she made their lives much easier when she helped with the cattle. She received good food, some weapon training, and was taught a bit more in general then the other children in her district, but she didn't retain a lot of it. And so, she was normal. Another person, with another personality might have retained the information and resources available to her, or better used the opportunities offered. But Kara did not, and therefore a strength became a weakness. Speaking of strengths, Kara did have a few good ones. Her magic with animals extends farther than simply herding them or calming them. For a few minutes at a time, she could shapeshift into a particular animal. She was an ok fighter, had a small, lean body build, and had no qualms about killing. She was good with a sword, and competent with a bow. When she was reaped, she was very nervous, but after training she became naively sure she would win.

Nico was her district partner, a weird boy who was the son of Hades. He was 15 when reaped and was, like many other tributes, terrified of what would happen to him in the Hunger Games. Having grown up with a mother who often abused him, he was broken inside and when he was reaped, he had no hope, already mourning his death imminent death in the games. Unlike everyone else, he did not train in the available space but prefered to shadow travel to the roof and watch the stars. His only strengths were his powers and his ability to swim. He had many weaknesses, including his lack of any talent with weapons and the fact that he wasn't athletic. This sad tribute was 100% sure he would not win, but if he just tried, maybe he could stand a chance.

* * *

 ** _District 11_**

The first tribute from 11, Jacob, finally followed the norms as a child of Demeter. Like Nico, he was raised in an abusive home, but unlike Nico, it did not break him. It led him to feel more confident, as he stood up to his father. He was 18 when reaped and was devastated as he was about to buy his own home legally, with money he had made by working as a chef in the mayor's household. He knew when he was reaped that he'd have to win, of course because he valued his own life, but if it came down to the final two, he knew he would not be able to hurt his opponent. He thought the games and the adrenaline from a life or death situation wouldn't change him, but he could not have know until the Games had begun what he was capable of.

Emily Rose was thankfully a daughter of Athena, and owed her life to that blessing. Blind since birth, Emily used her other senses and built contraptions to amplify them. She lived with her genius father and together they built a company, manufacturing a fertilizer that sped up a plants growth tenfold. She lived comfortably and used her earning to train and figure out how to fight with her disability. She was even able to fend off her father once, in a practice fight. When she was reaped, however, she did not feel ready. She teared up as she walked to the stage, hearing her father sobbing in front of her. She had to win, she thought. For Father.

* * *

 _ **District 12**_

District 12's pair were close friends, even bordering on dating. But any possible future together was torn away from them when they were both reaped for the Games. This caused Bianca and Hazen to both be horrified, and when they were reaped, those in the district who knew the sweethearts gasped, shouted, or cried. Despite the grief that spread through the district and the fact that both tributes had other siblings of reaping age, survival was more important and no one volunteered. Bianca was a daughter of Bellona. She had a strong sense of pride and was extremely tactical. She was thrown on the streets by her father when he realized, and denied, what her mother really was. She met Hazen in the woods, another disgraced child, and they both ended up surviving together.

Hazen liked Bianca for a long time, but the feelings were one way until shortly before the reaping. The fifteen year old was a demigod, that was for sure, but he had no control over his powers. Sometimes, he'd awake and realize that the grass around had grown uncontrollably while he slept. Had he been educated in Greek mythology, he would have recognized his parentage instantly. Yet he wasn't, so he didn't, leaving the 24th tribute in the Half-Blood Games in the dark and at a disadvantage compared to the other tributes.

* * *

 **And those are your tributes! So pick a favorite! Anyone can win! Vote for your favorite tribute in the comments, and dead or alive, that tribute will either get an epilogue, or a chapter centered on their family**


	2. Chapter 2-The Reapings

**Hello again! Time for the reapings! I will write from the perspective of 2-4 tributes per chapter, starting with the reapings in District 1. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **District 1**_

Faith roamed the streets of District 1 early in the morning, before the sun and the citizens arose. She walked through the merchant parts of the district. This was the part most famous in District 1, the part that represented the district most often. Like all cities, it had its bad parts, like where Faith slept, but the shopping district was more pristine and well kept for the upperclass. The streets were empty, but Faith still walked in the shadows, trying to avoid the colored windows of the colored houses. She often walked here, scavenging for resources, whether it be food, clothes, or money. Today however, she was looking for something different.

A reaping dress.

Today was reaping day, when 23 unlucky demigods from the districts would be picked to die. It was her first reaping and she needed to look nice, of course. Chances were that if she were reaped, no one would volunteer for her. She was. . . different. People wanted her to die. So Faith, although she was typically a cowardly person, wanted to win the Demigod Games just so she could come back home and show them that she was just like the rest of them, fancy careers included.

So she wandered the streets of the rich part of town, looking for a dress to make her look pretty. Some of the parents of careers would leave their children's outfits outside for the night, to get a 'fresh' scent, which, according to 'studies' on their favorite medical shows, makes people more likely to, well, like you. That leads to sponsors, which leads to more money, which is a big help in the games. So, the dresses, suits and battle armor were left outside.

Faith looked over the picket fences and saw many beautiful dresses, but the trick was to pick one that was nice, yet dingy enough to not be missed; one that looks like she had saved it for her first reaping. Her first reaping.

Suddenly, the weight of what would likely become of her fell on her shoulders. She froze, terrified, before climbing over a fence and jumping into a swimming pool owned by the closest house to her. The water moved around her as she sunk to the bottom. Invisible tears poured down her face, blending in with the chlorinated water. She was not meant for the games! How would she survive? No, that was not the right question. How LONG could she survive? She sobbed for a while, but the 12 year old daughter of Poseidon eventually calmed herself, climbing out of the water silently before grabbing a teal blue knee length dress lying on a nearby rock. She put the reaping out of her mind and rushed to get home to where she slept, a pit in the ground with a roof made out of an old blanket. As she waited she applied her meager supply of makeup, which she had found dropped on the ground over the years since she had woken up without her memories.

Focusing on a little puddle, she stilled the water and used it as a mirror as she struggled to put on mascara and lipstick. She hurriedly dressed and started to prepare herself for what she would do when fate decided to become the end of the digestive system.

She practiced both the escort speaking and her reaction. She told herself over and over that it would be ok, that she would stand a chance, and that she needed to keep a straight face. And so she practiced this for the few hours she had until the reapings started in her district, at 11:00 am.

When she went to the courtyard full of other children waiting to be sent to their deaths, she waited in line to get her finger pricked for identification. She winced at the needle, and looked away, too squeamish to look. Faith then proceeded to the crowd of 12 year old girls, of whom she was the only one anxious. They knew they wouldn't have to fight, someone was already picked to volunteer. They would have their chance.

The escort walked onto the stage, frilly, diamond covered hair bouncing with every step. Her dress leaked with precious gems, making every poor kid both jealous and horrified at the waste. She, Syntheia, walked up to the glass bowl of which the names of every teenager in the district lay. She reached in with a white-gloved hand, and took the name of the girl sent to die out of the bowl. She held the slip of paper in front of her, and read aloud

"Faith Evens"

Faith stood there shocked. She knew she would be picked. But even with all of her preparations, she was locked in place. She forgot appearances and tried to come to terms with the fact that she was, essentially, dead. She was not brave enough to step forward until a girl, who Faith would remember for the rest of her life, nudged her forward. The blond looked at her with stormy gray eyes and told her that it was ok.

Faith was knocked out of her stupor. She let only one tear fall down her face as the crowd parted to let her go forward. She stood on the stage, and for once, there were no volunteers. After an awkward pause, the escort asked, as they don't usually need to, and still there was nothing. And so, Faith became the first tribute chosen for the Games.

She stood, still shocked as Syntheia chose the male tribute to accompany her to her demise. The seemingly emotionless women reached down and picked the other tribute.

"Fuller Blane"

Again the crowd parted and a tall, older boy walked up to the stage confidently, waving and smiling as he went. No one volunteered for him, but for a different reason. They wanted to let him live his dream of becoming the first demigod victor. She heard on the streets the respect that people had for him. He was one of the "Good Demigods".

So Faith and Fuller were escorted by the peacekeepers to the train. Fuller said his goodbyes, but Faith had no one to say goodbye to. And so they left, to their uncertain fates.

* * *

 _ **District 7**_

Jake woke up in the woods, turned, and nudged Minty awake,

"Hey, wake up, today's reaping day"

"Nooo...," Minty groaned, and pushed her twin away. Jakes laughed to himself. His sister was not a morning person.

She groggily got up, and helped her brother pack up their camp, albeit in a zombie like state. They rolled up their sleeping bags, packed up their tent, and stamped out the burning embers of the previous night's fire. They could not allow the peacekeepers to track them.

Jake and Minty grabbed their bags after tying up the sleeping bags and tent, prepared to hike back up to the main part of the district. The two lived out in the wild, as they were more comfortable away from society, but Jake often made trips to the town to get supplies, such as food, blankets, and money. Minty, however, hadn't visited the town square for years. Jake could pass off as normal; he was pale, but not deathly so. His hair was dark, but not black, and his eyes were the same. But Minty was deathly pale, with dark eyes and jet black hair. Jake had often worried for his sister, because she was so obviously a child of the god of the dead.

He had been saving up money for a while to get them both new reaping clothes, as they had outgrown the ones they had used for the past two years. They arrived early to town to buy some clothes. Walking down the streets, Minty kept her head down, but they still felt the wary gazes of their fellow district members.

When they got to the dress-shop, they found many beautiful, somewhat casual dresses one could wear to the reaping. The store had formal wear, so Jake bought that for himself. Minty found a beautiful black and white dress for herself. The dress and the suit cost more than they had, but because the shop owner recognized fellow demigods, he cut the price down. Jake nodded his thanks and Minty smiled shyly. "Good luck today!" The shopkeeper called out after them as they left.

They found an abandoned shack and changed there, with Minty adding diamonds that she summoned from the ground to her own outfit. They then walked down the busy street to the central square, where they would face either the possible loss of a sibling or go back to their home in the woods.

Jake watched the people around him as he and his sister split up. Going to the 14 year boys section, he felt the gazes of the other boys and a couple punches here and there, even some by other demigods. He wished that he and his sister weren't demigods at all and instead normal mortals. Life would be easy and then maybe they would be able to find friends.

The escort, a man named Silvius walked on to the stage. He wore a black and white suit, had white hair, and green tinged skin. He loudly shouted, even with the microphone, to the crowd.

"Hello, hello, hello! Welcome to the 1st Half-Blood Games reaping in District 7! Which one of you lucky folk will be able to fight for your district?" He walked around when he yelled this, much to Jake's amusement. His wig shook side to side, and when he pranced over to the girl's bowl, it nearly fell off. When laughter spread through the crowd, however, his demeanor changed.

His skin appeared to change from green to red, and his blue eyes turned blood red. "Stop with this laughter! You won't be laughing when your tribute dies, will you?"

The crowd quieted then.

"Now, for a female tribute..." He dips his hand into the slips of paper. Jake prayed for his sister.

"Minty" A last name wasn't required. Only one Minty existed in District 7.

Jake's breath quickened. No, No! It can't be, not her!

Jake looks around for his sister, peering through the crowds. She stood there, distraught. She looked forward, at the stage, her mouth formed in the shape of an "o". Eventually, she shook her head and walked to the stage, head high. She stood on the stage, looking desperately at her brother.

He wanted to volunteer to protect his sister, but he couldn't. He didn't want to have to fight her, because they would surely be the final two.

He took a deep breath, and calmed down. She would be fine. Minty won't die.  
He just needed to believe in her abilities.

Silvius walked to the other glass bowl, where the unlucky boy would be reaped. Jake prayed to his father, begging that the male tribute is a weak demigod, maybe a son of Aphrodite. The escort picks up a slip, as Jake watched on in fear. Jake stood terrified, along with the other demigods in his district, as Silvius called out the name...

"Jake"

* * *

 ** _District 9_**

Briana Odson awoke to her mother gently shaking her, telling her to get up, " Bri, reaping". Often, when her mother spoke, she shortened the sentences to the point where Briana often had to struggle to understand her.

Briana was still lying face into the pillow, but when she heard the word "reaping", she perked up. The reaping? Today? Briana jumped up, and rushed to get her stuff together. She needed to go out hunting before the ceremony and she couldn't be late again. After all, this was her second to last year.

She threw on a jacket, and, shouting a quick "Bye!" to her mother, exited their small hovel of a home. She picked up her knife, and stalked through the grain fields of her district. Often, she didn't even have to cross the fence, as the fields were full of animals such as snakes, mice, rats, and shrews. An art she had mastered over the years, Briana carefully stalked the animals, silently moving through the stalks. With a quick strike, she pinned the head of a snake to the ground, and threw it in her ever growing bag of prey. She hunted through most of the morning, and when her watch said 11:00, she started to head back. Briana's mother had to preserve the meat, and however slow or clumsy her mother was, she knew how to preserve meat.

Briana gave her the meat, and then rushed off to do what she did best. Steal. When she first started stealing to make a living for her and her mother, instead of for fun, she thought that the peacekeepers would arrest her, or whip her, or something. But however much she stole, no matter how much she was noticed, they never punished her. This always bothered Briana, but she never had considered how awful their eventual punishment would be. At least, not until today.

Reaping day was always very…..profitable. People wearing their finest jewels and new peacekeepers made easy targets. As Briana walked down the streets, she looked for any of the richer people of her district, or peacekeepers. They always wore some kind of jewelry, something to remind them of their native District 2. Soon Briana spotted her victim. A new peacekeeper, just sent in from 2, was walking down the street, a box of strawberries in hand. Ms. Jenn, an old daughter of Dionynus, often grew them for the peacekeepers. Eyeing the bag of silver pieces in the man's bag, she supersped and bumped into the man, causing him to drop the strawberries. Briana approached from the other side, having supersped around, and crouched down beside him.

She smiled at him, as the new 'keepers were only 18, herself being 17. "Here, let me help you. They are still good to eat, and the ground gives it a nice earthy flavor," she joked. He pulled the dark visor back on his helmet and smiled back at her as they picked up the strawberries. Briana laughed to herself, as when he was talking to her, she reached into the small bag the peacekeepers carried, and deftly pulled out his money bag. She distracted him by pointing to a strawberry he missed, one that once reached, would give her the chance to hide the bag in her jacket. The peacekeeper turned back to her, still smiling, and asked if he would see her again.

"Maybe, but then again, I might be reaped for the games." She said, trying to look awkward. She smiled to herself as the peacekeeper did a double take, not believing she was demigod scum.

"You're a demigod? Um, uh, forget what I said," He turned and left.

Briana smirked. He wouldn't talk to her again, nor would he tell his superiors of the theft, as that would be admitting that he was distracted. And admitting that he was robbed by a demigod would be even more of an embarrassment, let alone that he liked one.

Briana did this with a few other recruits, and supersped past a few of the rich, grabbing their wallets from their bags quicker than they could see.

After all this, she returned home to see her mom slowly finishing prepping the last of the meat. Briana put all of the money and jewelry in a bag that they hid under the floorboards, where it was easily accessible to her handicapped mother, but still out of sight.

"Mom, you have to spend this over time, and don't spend any of it until you run out of food. Buy things that will last you a while, like bags of grain. You can get water from the stream that's right outside. Ok?"

"Ok," replied her mother, smiling sadly at her only daughter.

Briana sighed, and started to prepare for the reaping, which, in her district, was at 4….and it was already 3. "Shoot! I gotta get ready!" She exclaimed to her mom as she sped out of the room. Moving quickly, she bathed in the stream in a sheltered area, and changed into the nicest outfit she had. The dress she wore was a faded green, embroidered in a darker green. It was simple, and would work for the one day it was needed this year.

Briana ran a quick brush through her short hair and hesitated for a moment at the door, gazing at her lucky goggles. They had been a gift from her father, Hermes, and she scooped them up as she rushed out the door to catch up with her mother. They just barely got there in time, and Briana rushed to the 17 year old section. Just 1 more after this, and then she'd be done. Then she wouldn't have to be afraid. But some part of her worried, that she might be lying to herself to protect herself from the truth of her fate. She knew, somehow, that she would be reaped.

The announcer was wearing a wasteful amount of food on her dress. She wore a basket on her head filled with fruit. The top of the dress was a large pumpkin that she somehow wore, and the lower half was made from interwoven grain stalks with bread on top. Briana cursed her under her breath, but didn't realize she cursed in greek, getting odd looks from her peers.

The woman walked to the bowel with the names of every demigod girl in the district. Briana prayed to her father and the other gods, hoping that she wouldn't be picked. But the gods had no power to change the name on the slip.

"Briana Odson" called out the escort.

Briana was shocked, but quickly realized that she had to make an impression on the possible sponsors immediately. She confidently walked onto the stage, and smiled. Her ability to lie translated well into her ability to act. She stood on the stage, looking as sure of herself as any career as her partner was picked. A boy, who could have been her age, was reaped. He looked fierce, and angry, but she knew he was impulsive and not tactical. He also stood on stage confidently, but crossed the line into arrogance. He glared at the audience and the camera, crushing any chance he had of sponsors.

They were led to the Justice building to say goodbye. Briana fell into a shock a soon as the cameras left her face. Tears fell down her face, but she managed to calm down by the time her mother came in to speak with her. They hugged, with her mother telling her over and over again that she would be fine. Briana couldn't help feeling like her mother was lying to her too.

Eventually, the peacekeepers came to take her away, and Briana screamed her "goodbyes" and "I love yous" to her mother.

And so, she faced her fate, stepping on the train to the capital.

* * *

 **So there is the first actual chapter! As I said before, I will tell it from the perspective of 2-4 tributes each chapter, but it will move along, so the next chapter will be the train ride and the chariot, with different tributes. I will occasionally put in the perspectives of my tributes, like in this chapter, to make it more interesting.**

 **At the bottom of every chapter, I will also reply to the reviews. Any questions, statements, etc, I will comment on. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Have a favorite tribute yet? :)**


	3. Chapter 3-The Trains

_**District 2**_

Markus looked longingly back at his district as their train slowly pulled away. He clenched his fists as the weight of the situation hit him and he was washed with emotions of anger, distress, and worst of all, fear. How could this happen? How was it that this year, of all years, there were no **volunteers!?** Markus violently tore through his "bedroom", punching and kicking various objects. After around 10 minutes of rampaging, he started to calm down. Markus knew that the more he worried, the more unsure he was of his abilities, the surer he was to die. He needed to stay cool, like Cole would. Conjuring up his magic, he played with little shapes and animations. Magic always calmed him.

After a bit longer, he conjured an image of Cole, his 'brother'. Markus remembered when he had first met the boy. They were just kids when he found the young son of Khione digging through his small camp. The boy was terrified when Markus found him, and had shot a blast of ice his way before falling down and crying. Markus helped him, and they eventually grew to be good friends, almost brothers. Maybe thinking of Cole was a bad idea. Markus was terrified-what would happen to Cole?

Cole was a very strong demigod, hunting and facing bullies bravely. Despite this, Markus felt that Cole needed him. In all honesty, Markus needed Cole, but he could never accepted that. So he sat on the bed and fiddled with magic for the next hour, trying to stop the pain, worry, and fear of what was about to come.

When the avox woke him at 5:50 pm, he jumped awake. Markus being exhausted, had never felt such a comfortable bed before and so he had accidently fallen asleep. The avox gestured insistently to the sleepy boy until Markus was awake enough to grudgingly comply. He followed silent slave down the hall to a viewing room where the replays of the reapings were about to start. Markus knew he had to see his opponents, as seeing their reactions could help him decide who was dangerous in the games and who he might be able to ally with.

He sat hesitantly on the couch next to his fellow tribute, Jenna, a somewhat ugly girl who put on so much makeup she looked even worse. He gave her an uneasy glance, but she seemed to distracted to notice him. Vexed, Markus decided to ignore her and watched as the reapings began.

The first shot took place in District 1, another career district. Markus dreaded to see his career competition. As he was from District 2, and did not particularly look like a poor kid, they were sure to ask for his career participation. He was broken from his thoughts when the announcer called out the name of the girl, Faith. She stood, stupefied, in one spot, a clearing around her. A few agonizing seconds and a tear drop later, she walked to the stage, a blank stare still on her face. Markus was shocked when their were no volunteers for the girl. He worried that she would be bloodbath fodder, even if she was from District 1.

The boy reaped with her, Fuller, strode to the stage confidently. A boy who looked to be a career through and through, he was sure to be trouble.

Markus nervously watched as his district appeared on the screen. The escort walked onto the stage, and reached into the glass bowl. While she was picking the girl, Jenna, Markus distracted himself by looking for familiar faces in the crowd. At the very edge of the screen, he found himself, a strong, confident-looking boy. As he was looking for Cole, however, he felt Jenna tense up. The virtual her walking to the stage looked strong, but the girl next to him, whom he had disregarded for being ditzy and impulsive, was silently crying. Markus looked at her with concern, but when she noticed his gaze, she embarrassedly left the room. Markus worried for her and was about to follow when the screen called his name and he became distracted by his own reaping. Markus watched himself tense, so subtly that he questioned whether he really saw it or not. The boy on the screen held his head high, and proudly walked up to the stage. Markus, looking back on the reaping, now questioned the lack of volunteers for his district, apparently following the trend from 1. He told himself it couldn't be changed, however, as he and Jenna were proclaimed to be their district 'Champions'.

District 3 was a very interesting reaping, at least in Markus's mind. As the female tribute, a young girl named Aurora was reaped, and he saw boy in the crowd start sobbing. He look straight across the crowd to see a girl with fiery red hair stamping her feet, before raising her hand and volunteering. She stormed across the field to the stage, scorched earth on the ground behind her as she walked. She stood on the stage, and proclaim that she was Ash Ratter, daughter of Hephaestus. Markus thought that she might be too dangerous to ally with straight away, but of course, he wouldn't know for sure until training. The boy reaped was interesting, as he volunteered. Markus could tell from his confident attitude and gait that he was a career or was going to be one, at least, which was surprising for his district.

District 4 was a career district, just like it was in the Hunger Games, before the uprising. The girl reaped was furious. She was likely going to volunteer, but she couldn't volunteer for herself. She stood still, not even approaching the stage as the girls around her went into a rage, before a girl named Aria made it to the stage. Shocking Markus, she was wearing battle armour, and didn't even appear tired. She looked strong and powerful, but she was a career. Markus was convinced that, like his own district's tormentors, she was a cruel, unfeeling, torturous girl that no sane person should ally with. The boy from her district also volunteered, but he crossed the line from powerfully confident to a rather disgustingly arrogant. He spoke while moving through the crowd, seemingly keeping others from volunteering with something...maybe charmspeak? Despite his boisterous strides and confidence, he still seemed to be overshadowed by Aria. This boy thinks he will do whatever it takes to win, Markus thought, but when faced with what he has to do, he will fall short.

The other districts went by as expected, although 3 tributes stood out to him. The apparent twins, from what he could tell, in 7, looked deathly powerful, too powerful to be reliable and powerful enough to be big threat in the games. The other tribute who stood out was a girl named Ellie from 5. She looked nice, not too weak nor too strong.

After the reapings, they arrived in the capital, and were ushered through the screaming crowds to their rooms in the Tribute Tower. Markus was amazed by the technology and horrified at the measures taken with said technology to keep the demigods in the tower. The windows were made from an inch of thick glass with metal running through them. An electrical barrier surrounded the building, at such an extreme amount that even children of the sky god would be deterred from escaping.

Markus did not get to fully see the entirety of the miniature apartment that him and Jenna would be staying in before he was rushed into his room. In his room, he was unsure of what to do-how could he prepare for something that has never happened before? So, in an attempt to prepare, he forced himself to watch the previous Hunger Games, keeping a bucket nearby, as he often was nauseous at the sight of people bleeding. He watched what he could, before the power was cut at midnight, and he was forced to sleep.

* * *

District 5

Ellie was terrified as she was rushed on to the train, she was terrified as she sat on the comfy bed in her train room, and she was still terrified when the avox came to collect for the recap. Sitting herself on the couch, she watched the recaps alone, much to her disappointment. Her district partner didn't bother and went straight to his room. Ellie had hoped he would watch; she wanted to get to know her possible ally.

The reapings started about 10 minutes later, at 6:00. She wasn't very interested in them; she didn't want to see her future killers. But she knew she must.

From the career Districts, Ellie was shocked. There were no volunteers in District 1 or 2! This bothered Ellie at first, but then she realized that this made it more likely her opponents would be unprepared. She sighed in relief. She looked up at the TV to see the boy reaped. Would someone volunteer? Would someone break this no volunteering trend?

Apparently not. The boy, Markus, according to the announcer, looked confident, so much so that he look like a true career. But his clothes were dirty; his blond hair messy. He was a street boy. Which means that though he may be street smart, he would not be able to fight like a true career.

The other districts were uneventful, except for a pair of siblings from 7. Ellie was actually starting to drift off when District 12 started.

The escort walked onto the stage. A rather large woman, dressed as a witch with green skin, walked across the stage to the girl's bowl. Ellie only half paid attention, eyelids drooping, until she heard a shout from the boys section. A boy scrambled desperately through the crowd with tears down his face, screaming. This woke Ellie and she sat up, watching the spectacle with morbid interest.

The escort called for volunteers, as the boy held back by his friends, fell to the ground sobbing. Ellie looked towards the girl for any reaction, but she was just shocked, her face red.

The escort walked towards the male's bowl. Ellie watched with a sick feeling of unease in her stomach. Ellie tried to ignore it, sure that what she feared would not occur.

It did.

"Hazen"

Ellie watched as the sobbing boy jumped up. He was shocked, and then choked back a sob. He seemed to resign himself to death, his skin losing color as he walked to the stage. The girl, Bianca, seemed to finally recognize reality and stood silently as tears began running down her face. Her body shook with inaudible sobs. When Hazen walked to the stage, all was silent. The footsteps echoed on the pavement, a steady thud that concluded when he stood upon the stage, facing his childhood love. Ellie was on the edge of her seat, as the escort called for volunteers.

No one moved, as the couple grasped each other's hands in comfort, raising it above their heads as tears ran down their cheeks. Suddenly, a loud, crazy laughter sounded through the air. The crowd parted for a man walking to the stage, a finger pointed to the girl.

"You, you freak. You monstrous girl. You were never normal, and blamed it on your mother, Belle, bless her soul. You lie to me, you useless daughter, and you act like you own the world. But guess what! Time for revenge! You bit the hand that feeds ya, it bites ya in the butt!" He raved madly and cackled, spouting a spew of curses at the girl. She withstood it with apparently no reaction, holding her head high. But Ellie could see in her eyes the pain she felt. The pain of being humiliated, the pain of being rejected by those who once loved you, because of who you were.

But then Bianca lifted her hands, with a very specific finger on each hand directed at her father. His laughter stopped abruptly, and after what seemed an eternity of glaring, he turned and left.

Ellie was horrified at the situation. Two lovers sent to kill each other, with a glorious send off such as what had just occurred. Ellie hoped and prayed for them, as a tear ran down her cheek. The games were monstrous, barbaric, and just unfair. Maybe the poor lovers would make good allies.

After the interesting reaping, Ellie ate with her partner and the escort. They didn't speak, no one wanted to. The escort was silent for obvious reasons. To him, they were just demigod scum. For the boy, it was because of his impending death. In his mind, he was already dead. But for Ellie, it was the new personal knowledge that the Games tore people apart, forced them through pain that no one deserves to feel. And it bothered her, that this was entertainment for many. It hurt to realize, to think about the kids that would die, the families destroyed. She stood up suddenly, spilling her drink. Cursing under her breath, she waved her hand and to the shock of the others, formed an orb with the water, picking up her cup and putting it back. She whispered a quick apology before running back to her room in a panic. It was all too much. She jumped into the shower, tears running down her face. 23 of us are going to die! I will never stand a chance, I'm going to die, I'm going to die...

This she repeated for a time that felt like forever. She had to come to terms with her own death, but she couldn't. She was terrified at the prospect of dying. She sat in the bathtub, head against the wall. Her tears eventually slowed, and she numbly fell asleep, clothes and all, in the water, her sole source of comfort.

* * *

 **Hello! Sorry for the shortish chapter. I got braces, and had a bunch of stuff to do. Also sorry for any formatting/bold/italic issues. Fanfictions been odd.**

Anyway, hoped you enjoyed the chapter.

Review and Fav!


	4. Chapter 4-The Chariots

**Hey Guys! This chapter is a bit late too...so the next chapter will be early. It will be the interviews, and then we will move on to the Games!**

* * *

 _ **District 5**_  
Delano was a smart kid. He was sure of that, at least. What he was not sure about, however, was how he could possibly win the games. After watching the reapings, he was sure that the competition far outmatched him. There were tributes who could control the animals, raise the dead, or control the very forces of nature! How could he even begin to compare, for all he had was a brain and a weaving ability.

He couldn't do a thing.

He had to stay positive. He still had a chance. He could fight, as he was trained by his sister. He could trap the others in their mad flee from the cornucopia. Yes, that will do. The back of his mind worried about killing so many people, but he must do what is necessary for survival. If he hesitated, he would die. And he didn't need to look at past games to know THAT.

He was planning what he would do in the games when 3 capital men entered his room, only briefly muttering their names before rushing him off to a large, exquisite bathroom. Delano was uncomfortable to say the least as they drowned him in chemicals and makeup, but he stayed silent. He had to comply, for every possible sponsor counted. For hours, they measured him, brushed make up on his face and removing it, and plucking every unnecessary hair from his form. He was almost in tears by the time they were finally done. They shoved him through a doorway and left him there with nothing but a towel.

He was left in a large, metal room with clothes hanging on the walls around him. There were suits, pants, and a wild assortment of odd bottles of color, looking like potions that could be found in a witch's hut. He approached the bottles, curiously examining them, when he heard the door creak open.

"Shoot!" Delano jumped, and hit the shelf with the vials. A blue and red one fell to the floor and shatter, covering his maroon towel in blue and purple-ish spots.

"I see you've found the color vials. As you can see, they change the color of whatever fabric they land on, no matter the previous color." Said a voice behind him. Delano turned, afraid for a second at the monster like woman before him. She had vivid green hair and pale skin. Gills fluttered on her neck, and her eyes glittered an unnatural metallic green. She had webbed hands that were shot up to cover her eyes. Delano was shocked. A Capitalite who respected him- a demigod from the districts! After an awkward pause, she gestured in his direction with a robe in her hand.

"Here. You don't need just that towel. The stylists should really start giving the tributes proper clothes!"

Delano took the robe, and the strange woman introduced herself. "I'm Tonks, and you must be Delano." As she speaks, her eyes change, matching the now blue of her hair, and the shimmer of her skin. "I will be your main Stylist. Don't worry, you are in good hands."

Delano smiled nervously, hopeful. She seemed nice enough, and Delano prayed that she was kind enough to give him an outfit worthy of both his parentage and district. Tonks opened a panel in the wall, one that Delano had failed to notice. He was amazed at how the Capital architects cleverly hid the storage areas in the buildings, making the rooms seem so much bigger. He would kill, if only to live and work here. But, he thought, that's sort of what I'm doing anyway.

From the panel, Tonks grabbed a suits that looked to be made from woven wires, but instead of looking like muddled electrical boxes, it flowed together nicely, and changed colors depending on the area. Some places looked electronic, but others faded to a nice snowy gray, reminding him of owl feathers. It was really quite amazing, and Delano was further amazed to see real electricity running through the suit.

"It...it's beautiful." Delano says.

"Of course it is. We get paid a bonus if our tributes win, and I want you to be the very best," She replies, "As you can see, it incorporates both your district and your parent. The electricity for your district, and the woven wire and owly color for Athena. Now, let's get it on you." She called the three sub-stylists in the room, and they somehow got the outfit on him. Surprisingly, the inside was very soft, yet somehow protected him from the electricity. He was sat down, and he felt his hair being styled, along with the rest of his face. Even more make up was thrown on him, but soon enough, he was rushed in front of a mirror.

He was shocked. the outfit made his scrawny self seem taller, stronger. His hair was dyed a silver, to match the wires and gray of his outfit. He looked...well...awesome. He smiled. He would stand a chance, in an area he was confident he would fail.

After he saw himself in the mirror, he was rushed to his chariot, where he met face to face with his district partner, a girl named Ellie. She was covered in a beautiful mesh of ocean blue wires. Her hair flowed down her back, with yellow strands running through it. He stepped up next to her, on their chariot pulled by black horses.

"Hello," she says shyly, although Delano barely hears it other the screaming crowds.

"Hey," He replies. They don't speak the rest of the chariot ride, but Delano doesn't linger on it. He was too busy focusing on his owl.

A man had rushed up to him and practically tossed a glove and a large snowy owl at Delano's confused face. "Its for your costume!" He said running away as the chariots began moving, "And her name is Hedwig!"

Delano focused on keeping the owl calm as the chariot bumped forward. Glitter and flowers hit his head as they are pelted at him and the other tributes by the overexcited crowd. He peered to the side to see Ellie moving water next to their chariot. The crowd absolutely loved it, and while they seem to be focusing on District 3, he could see that Ellie was getting a fair amount of attention. All his life, he was overshadowed by powerful people, whether they were peacekeepers or powerful demigods. But no more. He had to try and outshine Ellie.

He waited until the chariot stopped, and collected as many flowers as he could. He gave it to Hedwig, and threw her into the air. She flew around him, dropping flowers, before flying into the crowd with the plants. They loved it, desperately grabbing for the last flowers. When Hedwig returned, Delano was smiled. For the first time since he was reaped, he was happy.

* * *

 ** _District 12_**  
Bianca was the daughter of a war goddess. She could remain strong through a simple beautifying process. She could stay strong. She must, because if she stayed strong, through this and through the games, she could return home and buy her own home, where she could stay without her father. Bianca smiled to herself at this, even though, at that moment, a patch of hair on her leg was ripped away.  
She would be happy away from father.

Bianca's father hated her. He hated what she was, what she claimed to be. All he wanted was a perfect child. A son, who could help him, who was tough, who was smart, good, everything perfect. But that was not what she was. And it never would be what she was.

Bianca put up no fight against the stylists. They made her beautiful, putting on layers of make up and brushing her hair for hours, until all the tangles from over the years were gone. After a few hours, she, like all the other tributes, was put into a metal room. It was freezing, and her blue robe did little to help. As she waited, her thoughts drifted to the one not-so-awful person in her life. Hazen.

She didn't know what she felt towards him. He was like her brother, helping her in the years since she started hunting. Sure, he was cute enough, and dorkishly smart, but nothing too extraordinary. But, she was no better. It boggled her mind at how someone could ever love her. She was, cynical, ugly, mean, and there were just so many things to dislike. And yet Hazen loved her.

When she was reaped, her first thought was of Hazen. She would miss him so much, but at least he would be ok. His reaction was so devastating. It was then that she realized several things. Firstly, she was most likely going to die and secondly, Hazen loved her. But she was even more shocked at how she felt when he was reaped. She was devastated, broken at the thought of him dying. And that was when she realized. . . she loved him too.

But, she thought to herself, she was a daughter of Bellona. She couldn't have such weaknesses. She had to stay strong for the games. And if that meant killing the boy she loved, then she would. Because, survival was the most important thing. She couldn't love if she was dead.

She was brought out of her thoughts when her stylist entered the room. A tall man, with almost no alterations. He had dark skin and silver eyes and hair. He had a kind look to him, but Bianca knew he was a capital man, and what they thought was nice was completely different from actual kindness.

"You look like victor material, Bianca. Like you belong in District 2."

"My mother was the goddess of war, a common parent in District 2"

"Really? Splendid. Now, let's get you looking war-like, shall we?" He said with a smile. Bianca was shocked about how accepting he was of her parentage, but, she thought, he was paid to be. Despite his overall friendly demeanor, she couldn't trust him.

Still, the man, who said his name was Miro, was very nice, even by Bianca's high standards. He picked out a very elegant dress for her. It was a shimmery silver and bronze dress that covered her feet. It had blood red color that seemed to be dripping from the top down her dress. It made her look like a silver warrior with the blood of her victims on her dress. Bianca loved it.

"This..it's..amazing." For the first time in her life, Bianca felt..beautiful.

"Wonderful!" Said Miro, before he called in the others with thousands of hair brushes and hair products.

They wrestled with her hair until it was in some sort of an elegant updo. Strands of Bianca's curly hair framed her face, completing the look. They highlighted her cheekbones, colored her lips blood red, and outlined her icey blue eyes in a dark black mascara. She was amazed; she looked different. Stronger, but delicate at the same time. Bianca looked in the mirror at her miraculous makeover and though that if she could imagine what her mother looked like, she would look like this.

Bianca was then rushed to her chariot, where two coal black stallions led a silver chariot. Hazen stood awkwardly in the chariot, nervous for what was about to come.  
Bianca walked up beside him, but stood quietly.

"Bianca!" He looked at her wide eyed "You...You...look...breathtaking!" Hazen looked at his feet, blushing.  
"So do you" Said Bianca softly, as she glanced at the boy's attire.

And he did. Even though Hazen himself did not know his godly parent for certain, the Capital certainly did. He wore a green suit, with dark, forest green streaks in his earthy brown hair that matched his jacket. His pants were a grassy green and his eyes glowed vivid green.

Bianca blushed and looked away. She was still getting used to having feelings. The chariot started moving down the road. Bianca looked at the screaming crowd and they looked back, waiting for her to do something amazing, just as the last 12 tributes did before them. She looked back at Hazen, who was nervously smiling at the crowd, and she gripped his hand. He looked back at her, shocked, but she was already raising their intertwined hands above them. Their hands showed unity, and the crowd roared, shouting about a new "Star-Crossed Lovers". Bianca watched everything in slow motion, the roses flying, the faces smiling, and she almost forgot about the atrocity which was the Half-Blood Games. She almost forgot that she was being prepped to die. All she knew, for a few seconds, was that she was beautiful, she was standing next to her love, and that, she hoped, her mother was proud of her.

* * *

 _ **District 3**_  
"Fudge! Shoot! Bleh! Grr! Stop! No! Why! Get Off! This is...Torture!"

Ash Ratter did not want to be "prettied up". She did not want to be in the games and she certainly did not want to be shown around to the capital like an animal in a petting zoo about to be slaughtered! She kicked and punched at the people trying to throw her in the water. Honestly, she knew she was being overdramatic, but the Capital was the city of drama after all and drama sells.

Eventually, she was deemed presentable enough to see her stylist, but only after hours of the poor sub-stylists vainly trying to get a small amount of makeup on her. They had left with bruises, scrapes, and scowls on their glittered faces. They would be surely be glad when the dreaded Ash Ratter died.

Ash laughed to herself. She was usually a very kind person. She volunteered when she didn't need to, she helped the poor, all of that. From an outside perspective, she had heard of the Games changing people before, but she didn't expect a change this drastic or fast. But she thought it was a good thing. Nice Ash was left back in 3. When Ash returned, maybe her old self would too, but for now, she couldn't be "Nice Ash".

After the small battle with the three sub-stylists, Ash was left in a room filled with dresses that adorned the wall. She looked around the room, and saw that all of the dress had the same shape, only with variations in the colors. For example, one dress had a flaming color that matched her robe, another had a silver like shine, and another looked rustic. She looked around the clothes, trying to find the one that she might wear. She wished that she could shine on one of the last days of her life. Ash was looking at a beautiful blue-green scaled dress when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She spun around, instinctively summoning a fireball in her hand. She was alone, she had to be, right?

She held the fire out, inspecting the racks of clothing, when suddenly a person materialized from a blood red dress. The woman's very skin had changed like a chameleon to fit with her surroundings. Ash jumped back in shock, but she only met the wall behind her.

"Careful now, you don't want to burn the dresses, Ash. You are a nice girl, you don't want the avoxes working late tonight on dresses you've destroyed, correct?"

Ash looked at her suspiciously. "Of course not...how..?"

"Capital magic. Nothing you will ever use of course, but, maybe I'll be wrong about that," She says as she stalks around Ash. "You know, your hair is very beautiful. Many in the city try for this color, but it never looks right on someone who doesn't have it naturally."

As she talked, this odd, chameleon woman, who claimed she was named Driana, moved through the dresses, apparently trying to find the right one. Ash tried to speak, tried to show her the ones that she thought would work, but she was always silenced by a tsk or wave of the capital lady's hand. Eventually, she picked a dress that Ash absolutely hated. A bright orange, the same color as her hair. It made her look so bland, so devoid of detail. But she couldn't voice her concerns. One more step out of line, and she might be killed by the gamemakers.

She groaned as she was fitted with the dress. She looked hideous. Her hair was given red streaks, and red ribbon was twirled around her gown. This clashing red just made it worse, rather than better. She grudgingly complied as she was led to her chariot, where she found the clever mechanical horses and her district partner waiting. Her partner looked gorgeous, covered in flowing yellow fabric. The look was ruined however, by the arrogant smirk on his face. Ash sighed to herself. District 3 would be overlooked, or, if they were noticed, be nothing more than scorned.

The tributes were driven forward, down the aisle, where they would be presented. Ash sadly looked at the crowds, dimly aware that she was on fire. She blocked the sounds of the crowd out, and the world seemed to slow. She saw each and every one person clap, clapping for their deaths. She felt sympathetic for the people, who grew up in a world where it was entertainment to murder children just because they were different.

The horses trotted onward, and Ash was thrown back into reality. The tributes all around her were trying to appeal to the Capitalists, showing off their powers. Ash looked at her glowing hands, then back at the cheering crowd and was amazed to see that they were staring expectantly at her. She looked to her partner, and found he was staring too. Well, if they wanted a show, she might as well enjoy herself too. With that thought, she threw her hands up into the air, throwing huge flames upward, where they softly fizzled away. She held her palms up, and in her hands danced dragons of fire, battles of flame. She worked effortlessly with her element until they stopped at the circle. Once they'd stopped, the crowd was quieted and the stadium fell silent. An odd owl fluttered around, but even it stayed silent as the president stood at the podium and spoke. His very presence seemed to suck the happiness from Ash, what little there was of it. The president, whom everyone called El Patron looked down at the demigods, speaking happily, it seemed with their own happiness. He looked joyful, sounded joyful, but the meaning of his words were clear:

Look, look at these children we own, who will die, for us.

* * *

 **Enjoy the chapter? Only the Interviews left until the Games! The Private training scores will be told during the interview, so we can get to the exciting parts more quickly.**  
 **Review and Fav!**


	5. Chapter 5-The Interviews

**Hello! As we skipped training and went straight to the interviews, I will quickly run through the scores each tribute got:  
**

 ** _District 1_  
Faith Evans: 7  
Fuller: 10  
**

 ** _District 2_  
Jenna: 7  
Markus: 9  
**

 ** _District 3:_  
Ash Ratter: 5  
Aston Blake: 9  
**

 ** _District 4_  
Aria Meyers: 11  
Noah: 8  
**

 ** _District 5_  
Ellie: 8  
Delano: 7  
**

 ** _District 6_  
Alex Mint: 8  
DJ: 5  
**

 ** _District 7_  
Jake: 8  
Minty: 9  
**

 ** _District 8_  
Lilith Kye: 10  
Jason: 4  
**

 ** _District 9_  
Briana Odson: 9  
Nason: 8  
**

 ** _District 10:_  
Kara Shade: 9  
Nico: 4  
**

 ** _District 11:_  
Jacob: 7  
Emily Rose: 6  
**

 ** _District 12:_  
Bianca: 8  
Hazen: 5  
**

 **And there are the tributes' scores! Proceed for the Interviews!  
**

* * *

 **Interviews  
District 4**  
Aria left the Training Center for possibly the very last time. She looked back despondently and steeled her resolve.. She would return victorious and be the very first Demigod to win and explore the Capital as a respected citizen, this she was sure of. She calmly walked past the nervous tributes and laughing peacekeepers back to her apartment to wait. The stylists would soon come and whisk her away to where she would be prepped for the Interviews. She smiled at her reflection in the window and imagined how she would look. Her chariot outfit had been a beautiful deep blue silk dress completed with a tiara that would fit the "Queen of the Sea" look, as she was being known. It had been regal and graceful, and would be difficult to top.

Bored, Aria's thoughts drifted as she gazed out at the capital city. It was useless thinking about her outfit; she wouldn't have a say. So, she thought about her interview plan. She could be anything. The Capital doesn't know her yet, only as the girl form 4, the one who volunteered. She could be a warrior like tribute, viciously looking for her next kill. Or, she could be classy, gliding through the crowds, looking as harmless as a butterfly. But, she would be like the monarch. Beautiful to look at but in actuality, poisonous.

Aria thought about a couple more approaches. A delicate, grieving girl wouldn't work- she had volunteered, so it wouldn't be believable. A girl who resembled the capitalites, perhaps? Someone to sympathize with? But no, if she tried that, she would look too weak. And she could not look weak.

Her sub-stylists, Piper, Hazel, and Rea bursts into the room in a cacophony of colors and commotion, interrupting Aria's thoughts. Aria was a bit annoyed by the abrupt intrusion but was still curious for the odd girls' opinions.

"How should I present myself for the interviews?" Aria asked, as they covered her face in pale powder. Shocked silence filled the room as the stylists exchanged surprised looks.

"What is the matter?" questioned Aria. " Has no one ever asked for your opinion before?"

"Opinions are not seen very well here," mummers Rea, who glanced at a camera in the corner of the room

"We are al happy here in the Capital, so we do not worry on trivial things. You can choose whatever approach and you will surely be amazing!" said Hazel.

Aria was confused. The Capital was paradise. Everyone was happy, they had whatever they wanted! How could they be obviously...oppressed?

But when Piper spoke, all her worries washed away. "Dear, we are all fine. The Capital is amazing. Don't worry"

Aria's mind went blank. It was an odd feeling, and she felt like she was watching herself move from another self, as if she was watching a movie. Aria watched herself mummer an ok, before she found herself immersed in the art that was herself.

The stylists had covered her skin in a powder that made her look a few times paler. Her eyeshadow was a deep blue mixed with green, and she had green, shimmering lipstick on her face. She glanced at the clock and she found that it had already been 2 hours. The time had flown by and Aria hadn't even noticed. This threw her off. She can't be this distracted during the Games.

Her main stylist came in, a short man by the name of Charlie. He held in his hands a long, silky dress that shimmered with green and flared out at the bottom. He and the stylists put the dress on Aria, while adding embellishments, such as a bow in the back and little sequins on the sides. The dress was, surprisingly, very comfortable. It felt like the other clothes she had been given, soft and silky.

They did her hair next, letting it fall gracefully down her back, before putting a tiara on her head similar to what she wore on the chariots. She looked at herself in the mirror and was amazed. She seemed to radiate a graceful strength. The sequins seemed to swirl around her figure like water when she moved and her powerful appearance inspired her. Aria knew what approach she would take for the interviews.

She was led to a stage and lined up next to the other tributes. Her district partner didn't speak or even acknowledge her and instead looked forward intently, as if trying to convince the audience that he was an unfeeling statue. Aria laughed to herself. How is the audience supposed to relate to a stone hearted monster? Because that was the secret to sponsors. They had to both be impressed by you AND understand you.

She was District 4, which meant that she would be the 5th person to be interviewed. The 1st person, a small girl from District 1, approached the stage. The host had not changed since the previous Hunger Games. Caesar Flickerman was the funny, popular, and mostly considerate host for the Games. He had a way with speaking that dragged out the best of the tributes characters, while relating to the crowd. But Aria didn't need that. Her interviewer could have been a blade of grass, and she could still captivate the crowd. Ceaser asked the girl, Faith, a few questions, ranging from her family to what she thought of her unusually high score. It went a bit awkwardly, at least in Aria's opinion, but the crowd forgot the odd girl as soon as her partner. Fuller took over the crowd, laughing and smiling the whole time. He seemed to radiate with a happiness that perturbed Aria. She could see the audience captivated by his presence; she could see the sponsor count for him rising by the second. Now THIS was a good interview, and she would need to top that.

She kept Fuller's performance in the back of her mind as the next two tributes approached the stage. Jenna, the girl from District 2, sat down first. She was in a pink dress, that looked like washed out blood. It didn't make her look warrior like however, only immature.

She apparently saw the same thing as Aria, how good Fuller's strategy was. She attempted it herself, laughing and smiling all through the interview. But it was...off. Children of Ares were not meant to project happiness or gracefulness. It just wasn't in their nature. She laughed too much, overdramatically, and seemed to flick her hair a few times too many. It was a cringe worthy talk and even Ceaser Flickerman looked anxious for an end.

Aria stood impatiently, as Markus went up to the stage. He was the last tribute before her and she prayed with all her heart that he was as much of a fail as his district partner. But she knew before he even got on the steps that that wouldn't be the case. He walked with a confidence that could only have come from full, true confidence in one's self and he shined, literally. He wore a suit that seemed to reveal his parentage, as it swirled with dozens of bright colors. It was constantly changing, embellishments appearing and disappearing. It was obvious; a child of Hecate, the magic goddess.  
He sat down in front of Flickerman and was asked the basic questions. Aria only half-listened, until the question of whether or not her was a career popped up. Up until this point, Aria had been sure he would be joining her on the careers team. She was shocked at his answer. Why would someone decline being with the careers? It provided a much better chance of survival then sticking it alone. She worried, as he had gotten a 10 in training. She would need to watch for him then. He would be a threat.

The interview went quickly, but when the timer beeped, Aria could see that, just like Fuller, he had taken the audience. Now, she would have to one up two tributes. She sighed. She could do this.

"And now, for the spectacular, Queen of the Sea!" Ceaser called as he pointed dramatically to the chair across from himself. He sat as Aria gracefully walked onto the stage, determined to be as elegant as could be.

She could do this.

"Hello, Aria! How are you tonight?"

"Very well, thank you," she said, nodding, "And you?"

"Amazingly, thanks for asking!" He nodded towards her dress. "You look stunning tonight! As you are a daughter of the sea, could you show us some magic to match the dress? I'm sure the crowd is very interested to see what you could do that might've earned you such a score as an 11!"

Aria smiled, and stood. "Oh, it wasn't anything overly complicated, only a few pool tricks." She laughed. This was her moment. She would shine! She raised her hands, and water twisted around her from the fountains lining the stage. She made it take the shape of a deer, before making it run all around the audience, dripping water onto a few lucky crowd members. She smiled, and the deer burst into a explosion of water droplets that rained upon the crowd.

"How was that!" Aria said, to both the audience and Flickerman, glowing with excitement.

"Brilliant!" said Ceaser, laughing as he wiped water off his glasses. "Amazing!"

Aria sat down, laughing with Ceaser. She felt exactly like what Ceaser described. Amazing. Brilliantly Amazing.

"Now, let's get serious. What are you planning to return to, back in District 4?"

Aria thought about this. What could she say? She'd be saying what was expected. She had to say something good. Funny? Maybe? But there was little she could to change a simple answer to such a simple question. She would have to make it relatable. That was the one rule of this.

"Well, I'm going home to my family. I'm going home to my beautiful district, where I have people I love, and people who love me." A tear dripped down her face. She was glad she could make herself cry. "There is the ocean of which I love the most. The ocean is my home. After the games, I want to-I will return to my home, something we all have and could never give up. I'm fighting for those I love, and for those gone. I'm not planning to return to anything IN District 4. I am going to return TO 4."

"Wow. We understand. There is nowhere like home. And I think we ALL can agree with that." The crowd, filled with those crying, nodded furiously. "And I'm sorry to say, that time is up, Aria Meyers. We will all remember you in the games. Certainly, you have at least 1 sponsor, here tonight."

Aria stood and shook hands with Ceaser, who looked her in the eyes and said, "Good Luck, Meyers." She nodded and left the stage as elegantly as she had entered. She had made an impression, all right, as sure as if she had stamped her name in the stage itself. She would be remembered.

* * *

 **District 6  
** Alex Mint wasn't worried for the Chariots. She wasn't worried for Training and nor was she worried for the Interviews. She was a smart girl, and she knew she could get by. She was a daughter of Hermes, master at manipulation! She could capture the hearts of the people, right? Her father was the god of thieves, so shouldn't she be able to steal the money from the pockets of the rich with her words?

She hoped she could. She mostly didn't want to think about what might happen if she couldn't.

Alex was just leaving the training center for what she thought might be the last time, when she was greeted by her three sub-stylists. They shouted at her, things like "You're late! You're late! Look at the time!" while rushing her to her room. Alex tried her best not to struggle as they repeated the torturous beautifying procedure that she had been given before the chariots.

She groaned with annoyance as they doused her in a liquid that made all of the hair that wasn't on her head fall off. They covered her in a silver colored powder before whisking her off to another room full of make up materials.

They sat her down in a chair, where the three woman, Jen, Clara, and Drew gave her a 'brand new' face. They added gold eyeshadow above her eyes and a silver mascara to highlight her eyes. Gold was painted on her lips, before they brought her to yet another room, a metal one similar to the one she was in before the chariots.

Her main stylist, a woman by the name of Silena, walked into the room and alex couldn't help but gasp. She carried a dress that was, in Alex's opinion, the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

It was a silver gray knee length dress with a gold belt and golden spaghetti straps that continued to outline her dress in gold. The hem of the dress was made from golden text of her father's many symbols.. Alex was amazed. She practically leaped into the dress and was even more blown away by the matching shoes. They looked like silver sneakers with bird's wings on the sides, fluttering as if they were magic. She was glad that, unlike her chariot outfit, this dress would allow her to move. She, unlike the other tributes, could run and not worry about tripping over her own dress and falling down on the stairs leading up to the interview.

She was rushed into her outfit, before she was sat down and her stylists designed her hair. Gold and silver streaks were added to her dark hair, but overall it was left untouched. Alex loved it. She could never have afforded to look like this in her life had she never been reaped. She laughed to herself as a dark thought came to her, "I liked being reaped, because I look rich; but I forget the fact that I'm about to die."

She was led to the stage where all the tributes stood. She would be the 11th tribute to be interviewed and was thankful for that fact. She regretted not thinking about her position beforehand, but, well, she had time.

District 5's girl walked onto the stage, after the typical career interviews. She looked nervous, but she had a pretty average interview. She, Alex thought, was a bit too nice for the Half-Blood Games, but who knows? Maybe she's putting up a front, to make herself seem weaker, like the infamous Johana, from the Hunger Games.

The boy, whose name Alex thought was Delano, was very put together. He acted confident, but not overly so, like many of the careers. He seemed nice enough, but not so much that he wouldn't do what it took during the games. He didn't make an impression, but he didn't seem too weak either. He was exactly the tribute that no one would seek out, for being easy to kill or for being a threat.

Alex smiled. She had her approach.

She was next. Ceaser stood, shook hands with Delano, and led him off the stage. He shouted to the crowd "And now, for the one, the only, Alex Mint!" She walked onto the stage, smiling and waving. She had to be careful. Don't be too cocky, Al. She made her smile fade, just for a second, before sitting down. She hoped enough of the tributes saw it; they watched her every move.

"Now, Alex, how are you today?" This was a generic question. So she responded generically, but softly "Good, thank you. How are you?"

"Very well. Now, I'm sure we all want to know more about Alex Mint. You are the only demigod in the games who is both a half blood and blessed by not one, but two different gods!" Caesar exclaimed excitedly. "We know this, but which gods blessed you?"

"Ah, but that is my secret. Why would I give up my advantage over the others?" She laughed, losing a bit of her meek facade and showing a more confident self. "But once the games start, maybe you can guess."

"Ah, how mysterious. How about you tell us something else. Do you have a plan for the games?"

"No, actually. I plan on improvising." She laughed, nervously. Her plan to wing it wasn't going so well. "But, I have a couple ideas. Not that I plan to divulge"

"Oh." The timer beeped, making Alex jump. "Well, that's all the time we have. It seems that we didn't learn all that we wanted tonight."

He called the next tribute as Alex was led off the platform and back to the other tributes. Alex cursed to herself. What was that?! She should've just been herself. She was furious. She looked nervous. She acted too inconsistently. She wasn't a daughter of Athena. A blessing wasn't the same as being a child of a god. She wasn't Delano, so how could she act like him? Her father was a stupid messenger god. A thieving god, who never even talked to her, let alone care for her.

Although she desperately wanted to leave, she couldn't. She had to stay and watch the others get interviewed. Her district partner, who came after her, was thankfully even worse than her. DJ was a son of Aphrodite and was gifted with charmspeak. He tried to convince the crowd that he was amazing, better even than the careers, but that was when he went too far. To use charmspeak, those who were trying to influence had to at least somewhat agree with what you were saying. Only those extremely powerful with charmspeak could change opinions completely, let alone a whole crowd. DJ failed miserably, and so her screw up was easily forgotten.

District 7's female tribute, a girl named Minty (Alex laughed at this) stuck out like a sore thumb. She was gloomy and withdrawn. She was a mysterious threat, and although the crowd didn't get much from her, they'd have to be blind to not have seen her dangerous potential. Her twin on the other hand, was friendly despite his darkness. He laughed with Flickerman and with the crowd. He was feared, but not terribly so. It was obvious who the favorite of 7 was this year.  
District 8's girl was Lilith Kye, a demigod and legacy. With her, the crowd forgot the mystery of her blessings, and focused on the "Career from District 8". She was powerful, trained, and smart, everything Alex wanted to be. The crowd loved her.

Her partner was Jason, a small boy who didn't have complete control over his own powers. Alex could tell the crowd pitied him. He would not last long. He squeaked when he talked, and seemed so nervous he would explode from the anxiety. He wouldn't be a threat, everyone could tell it wasn't even a front.

The rest of the interviews went by quickly, with no tribute failing or overachieving extraordinarly. District 8's tributes seemed average, and District 9 likewise. Although, a few of the knick-knacks off of Caesar's desk seemed to have vanished after Briana Odson's interview and Alex couldn't help but have a grudging respect for this half-sister she had never met. The rest of the interviews passed by quickly. District 10 featured an issue with birds, courtesy of Kara Shade. District 11 featured a display of inventions by Emily Rose, and an interesting reaction from Jacob when his family was mentioned. District 12 was odd in the fact that that they interviewed both Hazen and Bianca together. They asked questions about their past, and their love life, although Bianca seemed oddly uncomfortable with that.

When Alex finally returned to her apartment, she was exhausted. She lay in bed, worried for what would come tomorrow. The Half-Blood Games, a reality show on which she could die. For all she knew, this could be the last night of her life. She desperately tried to think of a strategy for the games, anything that she could think of that would give her an advantage, but she thought of nothing. "I'm sure I'll think of something, just in the morning." She thought to herself as she slowly drifted to sleep, a sense of dread settling in her stomach.

* * *

 **Well. I said this chapter would come early. Oops.  
Ill try to get the next chapter posted by Sunday. The Games themselves might have shorter perspectives, depending, but there will be more per chapter. Anyway, hoped you enjoyed the chapter!  
**


	6. Chapter 6- Blood Battles

**Hello! For the last perspective, Hazen's, make sure you've heard of the song "Say Something".**

* * *

 _ **District 1**_  
Faith couldn't stop herself from feeling fear as the metal platform slowly rose upward, towards the arena. She shivered in the cold tunnel, before she was hit with a fierce heat from above.  
The harsh sunlight was blinding, and Faith felt her heart sink in dread. Where there was such arid heat, there was not much water. Any water would dry up in the harsh environment and she wasn't strong enough to pull water from the air. In the dry heat Faith trembled with fear, for that meant her greatest strength was gone.

She wanted to break down and cry, but she held strong. She was not a weak girl, nor was she a dumb one. She could stay strong for the games. She closed her eyes, swallowed the lump in her throat, and slowed her breathing. She opened her eyes with new focus, determined to survive the bloodbath.

"55, 54, 53..."

Her eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the white light. When they did however, she gasped. Surrounding her was a beautiful, grassy clearing. There were supplies very close to her and she wanted to cry out in joy. This was too lucky. Looking farther, she saw the tail end of the Cornucopia aimed towards her. She cursed, as no matter the supplies around her, none would compete with the plethora available in the mouth of the horn. But at least the careers would avoid her, right?

She looked even farther, and saw that the high grass of the clearing was surrounded by thick woods. She smiled. The underbrush was lush, and that had to mean that water was nearby. It had to be.

"31, 30, 29..."

Faith wondered if she would survive the bloodbath. She didn't have a plan. How could she? She just could..survive.

If she survived she would need a shelter, somewhere where she could rest without the careers finding her in their hunts. She looked towards the Cornucopia, the careers shelter. If only she was career, as the others front her district had been. If she wasn't so lousy, so small...

Faith's eyes lit up, a lightbulb almost visually popping up over her head. She was the smallest tribute from her district, maybe even the whole games! She stared at the tip of the metal sculpture, looking for what she suspected would be there.

"3, 2, 1..."

Faith jumped at the sound of the gong, signaling the tributes to run. She hesitated for but a moment, but it was enough for the tribute next to her to dart in front of her and take the packet of food and run off. Faith cursed, before running forward and grabbing a large pack, slinging it over her shoulder, and swiping up two Celestial Bronze swords. She ran towards the Cornucopia, ducking and dodging various fights and stray projectiles.

Distracted by her goal, she collided head first into a tribute picking up a knife. She jumped backward, trying her best to avoid the tributes punch before using her small stature to twist around him.

He lunged at her and sliced her arm with his dagger. He grabbed the sword she subsequently dropped, before abruptly falling to the ground, an arrow lodged straight through his forehead. Faith, filled with adrenaline, didn't completely feel the pain or shock. She, like a monkey climbing a tree, swung herself to the top of the Cornucopia. She prayed that what she needed was there.

The metal was scorching hot, heated from the sun, and tears came to Faith's eyes. She couldn't let go or she would fall back into the bloodbath. She finally made it to the top, hands red, to see the apparent cube top. She peered inside, to see that, just as she thought, the block on top was hollow. She sighed in relief, rushing to throw her bag inside the hollow and jump in herself. She, small as she was, just barely fit, but from the ground she was sure no one could see her.

She stayed absolutely silent in her newfound shelter as she heard the sounds of tributes being slaughtered. The horror of the day sank in as she huddled in her safe haven while the screams echoed from outside. In a matter of minutes, a sixth, a quarter, a third of the tributes could be lost.

It was even worse, however, to have to listen to the sounds and cries of the wounded tributes in the grass. Faith peeked over the edge, to see that the deep green clearing had been tainted and the grass stained red.

She ducked back under the edge, gasping. The wounded were doing their best to crawl away before the careers found them, but they had to know they couldn't get away. Suddenly, a cry rang through the night, that was viciously cut short by the grotesque sound of an axe cutting through something. A career laughed. They were going through the fields, torturing and killing those remaining in the field.

Faith laid in her shelter, staring at the sky, trying to put the monstrosity around her out of her mind. She watched the sun roll across the sky, before it dipped around the metal, and the sky darkened. She heard the careers shift. A boy was standing watch, while the others sorted the food, laughing all the way. Unlike the other tributes, they could afford to be loud.

She waited until the sun had finally, truly set, and the moon hung above her. The death sequence lit up the sky, reeling off the deaths of the day. She didn't need the list. She had seen the bodies being lifted away, and could recognize all of them.

She looked at the guard, standing near the mouth of the cornucopia. Usually, the careers would have two guards out, at least from what Faith had seen in previous years. Unless, they had too few members, which was odd, considering Faith counted at least 5 potential careers.

The guard stared straight ahead with his back towards her and she sighed in relief. Now that she felt safe enough in her cubby, she could finally look inside her bag.

She sat up, being careful to stay hunched over. She took her bag, and ever so cautiously opened it, expecting a trap of some sort. She hadn't seen it happen before, but you could never be too careful.

When nothing jumped out and tried to burn her, strangle her, blind her, etc, she reached inside and slowly pulled out a pair of dark sunglasses. She put them on, confused, fumbling in the dark, careful not to drop them. When they were on her face, she was amazed. She could see, as clearly as if it was day, albeit with a greenish hue. Night Vision Glasses. She gladly wore them and looked back towards the guard, recognizing him as the archer from 1, her own District partner.

She then looked in her bag, now able to see clearly. She saw 6 packets of food, each baggie filled with a meals worth of jerky, crackers, and dried apples. She had enough food for three days, at 2 meals a day. All Faith needed was water, but she thought that if she concentrated, she might be able to take some from the careers when they slept, using the water to move a bottle from under their noses. Faith didn't want to think of what would happen if she couldn't.

The final item in her bag was a sleeping bag. In her small space, she couldn't sleep inside it, but the heavy material could rest on her, and maybe it could keep her warm enough. Faith shivered. When night had fallen, the temperature had as well, freezing her sweat. She clung to the sleeping bag, desperately trying to stay warm as she restlessly slept through the night.

* * *

 ** _District 2_**

Don't die. Don't die. Survive. That was his motto. He would run and get the bag that was right in front of him. He would not die.

He stood, on edge in the sweltering heat. To his left was the famous Aria "Queen of the Sea", at least a couple tributes down. And she had her eyes locked on the bag he wanted. Markus cursed, wondering what to do. It didn't matter if he missed the bag. His one goal had to be to survive.

He looked around the area, desperately praying for more options. About 20 meters away, he saw it. A small bag, and it looked stuffed. He sighed in relief. Maybe he could survive the bloodbath and NOT die of starvation or thirst.

Markus took a deep breath, and took his stance. He would leap off the cornucopia, ignore all fighting, and run towards the woods. That strategy has always worked in the streets. Avoid confrontations and no one would seek you out.

"30, 29, 28..."

He saw Aria look towards him, and curse. Markus couldn't help it. He had to laugh, being so tense over a backpack. It was nice to think about intimidating the highest ranking career.

"20, 19, 18..."

After he got the bag, what would he do? He knew he would run, but then what? Climb a tree? That would be too obvious. But if he covered himself with leaves and used the Mist, then maybe...maybe he could stay hidden, and the careers would pass him by.

"10, 9, 8..."

Markus twitched, anticipating the event. The numbers hovered in front of him, 6, or was it 9? He shook his head. Pay attention. Survive.

Gong

He leapt off of his platform and sprinted towards the bag he wanted, running faster than he had ever before. A stray arrow flew towards him, and he dropped, sliding across the ground and slinging the bag on his back. He jumped up and turned back towards the way he had come.

His heart sank.

"Well, poop."

Careers battled in front of him, tributes hacking at each other. Markus spun around, looking for some sort of escape. He started to panic, but shook his hand, and magic twirled around him. He tried to make himself blend in with the grass, but as tributes charged towards his area, he knew he had to make a run for it.

Markus bit his lip. Where to go, where to go?

Turning back towards his platform, he saw Aria and Noah, her partner, slashing at each other right in front of it. He tried to silently jog around them, too stressed for his magic to work. He cringed at his footfalls, eyeing his enemies, but he smiled and stood as he made it past the platforms. Markus took a deep breath, lungs tingling with pollen and dust around him, and prepared to sprint towards the woods. He hefted his backpack, and-

Was tackled by Jenna.

He could barely recognize his mutilated district partner, at first. Her face was slashed, and an eye was..an eye was gone. Torn apart, loosely hanging in her eye socket. He gasped, horrified, at her ruined face and fell back, scooting away on his hands. Jenna also gasped. She let out a quick sob and put a hand to her destroyed eye. Or what remained of it. She couldn't hide, however, the other slashes on her face. The cut from her eyebrow to her mouth. Her broken, bruised nose.

"Do you see me?" She asked, her voice wavering.

Markus gulped, trying to formulate an answer.

"I see." Jenna's voice had steadied, taking on an eerie tone. She stood up straighter, and dropped her bloody hand to her side.

Markus rushed to stand up, afraid of what she would do next. She seemed...off. Unstable.

"I'm sorry." She said, suddenly, before lunging at him.

Markus shouted in surprise, trying to talk to her as they fought. Trying to get her to see reason. They were district partners! Does that not garner some basic respect for each other? Markus saw tears dripping from her eye. Her single, horrifying, blood red eye.

She continued to hack at Markus, and so he fought her. She dropped and cut a deep gash in his leg. He shouted as pain raced from his leg, but he wrestled the dagger away from Jenna, before desperately stabbing her in the back. She gasped in surprise, and stumbled haphazardly away from him, shock plain on her face. She tried walking farther away from him, but she stumbled, fell. A canon sounded through the arena. Markus trembled. He had never, in all of his life on the streets, killed someone before. Not even Cole, cold and calculating, could claim that.

He turned and limped through the woods, trying not to think of what he had just done. He tried climbing a tree for safety, grimacing as his wound scraped against the bark, bleeding profusely.

He stopped climbing, and fell back down. He had to cauterize it. If it got infected, he would be finished. Survive, Markus. Number 1 priority.

He started a small fire, using some flint he found and a knife from his bag. His hands shook as he used a cloth cut from the bag to brush off dirt and wood from his leg. He bit back a scream, but he knew the worst would come in just a few minutes. He closed his eyes, tried to get his nausea under control, and held his knife in the fire. Dread filled him as he saw the blade turn a bright orange, then red, then a vivid white. He pulled it out of the fire, and touched the full blade to his wound.

His scream could be heard throughout the entire arena.

Markus cursed. Now, everyone knew where he was. He had to move. Now!

He put out the fire, and tried to stand, but fell to the ground. Again and again he tried to move, but couldn't. He collapsed on the ground, exhausted. Looking around, ground level, he found that the tree he had previously tried to climb had a hollow , where the roots widened underneath the tree.

"Oh, thank the gods!"

He heard rustling behind him and dragged himself to the hollow. He covered the entrance with mist just in time to see 2 careers barrel through his clearing. They stop, shouting to each other.

"He must be here!" This career was the boy who had gone against Aria, Noah. It was obvious he hadn't won easily, and Markus had to hold back a fit of laughter from looking at his beat up face. Well, that's what you get when you fight a 12 ranked tribute. Dumb.

"I know, but where?"

After a few seconds, they ran forward, heading into deeper woods. Markus realized he had been holding his breath, and let out a hoarse puff of air. He turned, wincing at his leg, and looked around his new found shelter.

The inside of the tree was partially rotted, leaving a space beneath the tree and into the trunk. It was a small space, but Markus moved dirt from the bottom, making it deeper. He dispersed the dirt around the tree, leaving no certain "pile".

When he was finished, he had made an area that was big enough for him to lay down, with his things next to him. He covered the entrance with Mist, and smiled as he looked around. He would be safe, until he needed water. Maybe, just maybe, it would give him time to heal enough that he could move on his own.

Satisfied that he would be safe for the night, Markus took his bag, and looked inside for the first time. A pocket on the side had hid his knife (which he had used before), but now Markus opened the large pocket. He shivered, breath appearing in front of him, as he shakily unzipped his bag. Inside, he found crackers that should last him 2 days.

Markus was furious. It was freezing now, and he didn't have a blanket! Dang it, Gamekeepers. He huffed. Markus shuffled towards the corner of his shelter, where it was a bit warmer, if only barely. He was glad they had given him a jacket, and he moved his arms inside, as he tried to stay warm. The air was icy, every breathe sent daggers into his lungs. He brought his knees into his jacket, and laid on his bag, using it as a pillow. Markus tried to sleep through the cold, cruel night, fitfully twisting around, mist flickering. He awoke the next morning, sweating a storm, but safe.

* * *

 ** _District 4_**

Aria stood calmly on her platform, smiling as she saw the arena. Hot, but that wasn't a problem. She looked around for other careers, and saw them all positioned a third of the way around the circle from her. She locked eyes with each of them, nodding towards some of the weaker tributes and the Corn. They had trained to recognize minute signals as communication.

"45, 44, 43.."

Aria stood, poised to launch off of her plate to grab supplies. She smiled as she sensed the tributes trembling around her. She did not enjoy their fear, no, she was not one of the worst careers, one of those who burn ants for fun- rather, she enjoyed the lack of competition she would have to get the supplies right in front of her. This would be easy, and Aria was confident in her ability. She looked to her right, only to see Markus a few tributes down, looking ready to kill. His face was set, determined. Peering past him, she saw Jake, another major threat, next to his sister. Her smile wavered slightly. So much for no competition. She stood tall and adjusted the number on her back, making it clearly visible. It was important she made her number clear, so her allies wouldn't accidently kill her. She glanced towards the other careers, glad to see them doing the same.

"10, 9, 8..."

Aria got into position, the same position she had practiced at the career academy for years. Her knee just barely lifted off the ground, and she kept her head down in a track ready form. The gong sounded and she hurtled off her pedestal. She dived for a backpack, slipping it on her back before grabbing an axe and swinging it towards a tribute, cursing as she missed. The tribute ran, but Aria picked a dagger off the ground and chucked it at her, hitting her square in the back. She collapsed and a canon sounded. She had killed the first tribute in the Half-Blood Games.

She ran through the grass, herding tributes towards the others, when the hair on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end. She ducked, rolling out of the way just in time to see a dagger fly through the air, right where her head had been. Shocked, she looked at the soon-to-be dead tribute who had thrown it at her.

She screeched, as another projectile flew at her face. She jumped out of the way, before glimpsing her attacker's face.

Noah!

How...what...Her allies!

She gripped her axe, unsteady for the first time since the games started. Why was this happening?

Noah, who had apparently found a spear, stabbed towards her chest, skimming her arm as she turned away. Should she attack? Her partner? How would that look? She ducked again, swinging her legs out from beneath him, making him fall with an "oomph". She ripped his spear from his grip, and raised it behind her head, preparing to strike. Now, kill him. She shook, somehow not being able to kill her own district partner. He jumped up from the ground, taking advantage of her hesitation, and ripped the spear from her hands before whipping around and kicking her in the belly. Aria gasped, the wind knocked out of her. She tried to shout, but couldn't find the air. She was suffocating, couldn't breathe...couldn't breathe..Noah just stood there, laughing...

Aria gasped as the air rushed back into her lungs, and she jumped up, punching him in the face before grabbing her axe and running, picking up his set of knifes, which he had dropped. She ran, heart pumping, loud and clear in her head.

She charged through the woods, doing her best to get away. She was attuned to any source of water, and felt a stream nearby. Gasping and tired from running, she approached the stream, collapsing in it. She was..betrayed! Buy her allies, her friends. Did they conspire against her, all of them? Or was it just Noah?

Suddenly, it hit her. She was a threat. She had a score of 12 and was one of the strongest demigods in the Games. They wanted to eliminate her immediately, before she could betray them. Aria had to admit it was smart, but they could've trusted her. However, it was Noah who tried to kill her and she had to assume he had acted alone. So, she would stop at nothing in order to kill him. Noah.

She jumped into the stream, sinking to the bottom, to hide from the other tributes. She had to act like she was on her own. But it was ok, she had trained for this. At least she had supplies. She opened her back, making sure none of it got wet, and found pieces of beef jerky, crackers, a blanket, and a lighter. It was average stuff, but she was thankful. Aria swam up to the surface, preparing to climb a tree in order to hide. The water was a haven, but the crystal clear liquid couldn't hide her forever.

She climbed out and let herself get wet. Water dripped down her nose, and she laughed as it tickled her skin.

A shadow passed over her, darkening the sun.

Her laughter stopped short, and Aria stood, hand on her axe, another on a dagger. She slowed her breathing, trying her best to stay silent. She heard a few leaves rustle above her, and she jumped, twisting in the air, colliding with the boy from 12, Hazen.

He was frothing at the mouth, fighting with a aggressive, uncontrolled fury that she had never seen before. His eyes were bloodshot and focused solely on her. Hazen twisted in the air, only getting scraped with the dagger she had swung at him, but it didn't seem to faze him. He landed on his feet and Aria lunged at him with her axe, jumping over him to get to his other side before stabbing downward, towards his back. He rolled out of the way, and Aria shouted, furious at this point. She was so mad at her failures, the betrayals, and she took it out on Hazen, almost matching his monstrosity. She briefly wondered why he was so intent on killing her, but dismissed it as he kicked her side, and twisted around her, scraping her arm. She cursed at him, and he cursed back.

"How dare you! How dare you curse at me, you little-" She punched him in the mouth before he could finish, wrestling him towards the water.

"You killed Bianca!" He shouts, before knocking her down, making her fall into the water. He jumped on top of her, holding his knife high above his head as tears ran down his face. Aria fought at him, but she was petite for a career, and he was heavier than her.

She closed her eyes for a second, calming herself, and tried to summon the water, but stopped when she heard him sob.

Intrigued, she broke her focus, and saw him sobbing, knife above his head. She prepared to use all her strength to throw him off when he was weak, and she slowly reached for her knife on the ground near her, trying to grip it.

"Bianca..." He mummered, before closing his eyes and slamming the knife down. Eyes wide, Aria turned, avoiding a knife to the face, swinging her knife towards him. She thought he would miss, but he swerved at the last second.

Lightning pain ripped through her body, and she heard someone cry out, before her vision went dark.

* * *

 ** _District 5 (Ellie)_**

Ellie was worried that the arena would be a desert wasteland. Luckily, the arena was full of plants, full of life. Unluckily, it was unbearably hot. Sweat dripped down her nose, as she tried to look around she platform. She wiped it away from her eyes, cringing at the sting, before seeing a sword a few feet in front of her. At least the Gamemakers weren't unnecessarily cruel. A little farther, she saw a pack. Ok, Ellie. Get Sword. Get Pack. Run. She laughed to herself. If only it were that simple.

"40, 39, 38..."

She looked around her platform, careful to stay far from the edges. She didn't want to explode by mistake, just like that poor tribute from the Hunger Games who had dropped their token, and blew up, covering the others with gore. Ellie shuddered at the thought.

"27, 26, 25..."

To her left, stood Nico, from district 10? Ellie sighed in relief. He had such a low score, he couldn't be a threat. Ellie pitied him, however. She didn't think he would make it.

To her right however, where the Dead Twins. She groaned. The boy seemed nice enough, but the girl? She was horrifying. But she shouldn't be so judgy. Maybe she was sweet. Maybe she wouldn't kill her on the spot.

"15, 14, 13..."

Ellie tried to focus, but she couldn't. The tension, the silence filled the air, making Ellie want to shout, if only to hear someone normal speak. But they weren't normal, she recalled. They were different. Demigods.

Ellie looked towards the others as the last ten seconds ticked towards 0. Many were nervous, but just as many were tense, as if any sudden sound would make them bolt. Ellie hoped she didn't look as nervous as she felt. Wouldn't looking tense be better?

"5, 4, 3..."

Many tributes, including Ellie herself, prepared to run. But a tribute across the clearing, the boy from 2, looked so determined it made her laugh. Were they at a middle school track meet?

But their lives were much more valuable than silly little trophies.

The sound of the gong brought Ellie back into reality, and she cursed at herself for hesitating. She rushed to the sword, swiping it up and gripping it tightly. She sprinted forward, trying not to fall and stab herself, and grabbed the bag, almost crying out in relief. She ran forward, towards the woods, and snapped up a pack of crackers.

She jogged through the woods, thanking her father for the fact that she was uninjured. She was too lucky. No injuries, a bag, weapon. For good measure, she thanked Tyche, the luck goddess, too.

She walked for a few hours, looking for any sign of water. Water was the most important thing, and could protect her. She tried using her father's gift, tried to sense any water around her, but she couldn't seem to find any.

Eventually, she came to a clearing. The purple sky shone down on her, and the soft grass seemed to call her to sleep. She shook her head, trying to force herself to continue forward, but when she opened her eyes a boy was in front of her. He looked a few years older than her, but his deep green eyes seemed to show someone much older, at least mentally.

He said only one thing to her "I'm sorry".

Ellie reached for her weapons, but the grass had softly grown around her legs, and thorny vines afterward for wood measure. They creeped up her legs, around her hips, and strapped her arms to her sides. Jacob, she recognized, watched, but Ellie could see he hated it. A tear dripped down his cheek, and just before her ears were covered, she heard him murmur something to himself

"I never wanted to become Father. I wanted to leave him forever. Never wanted to be so cruel, so rude. But he never physically hurt anyone." He snorted. "But I..." He grimaced, and looked up, tears in his eyes. Ellie closed her eyes as the vines surrounded her head.

But then the vines growth came to an abrupt stop. Ellie opened her eyes to stare directly at the head of Jacob, which had rolled clear of his lifeless body. His eyes, so interesting before, deadened. Ellie screeched and struggled in the tangled vines. His body crumpled, and a girl stepped out from behind him. They nodded to each other, and Ellie whispered "Thank you", as the girl walked past her, backpack in hand.

The vines, relaxed, were still wound around her. She, as quick as she could, unwound herself, and was horrified to find thousands of small cuts and thorns on her. She huffed. She needed water. She needed to heal.

She turned to grab her bag, only to find it wasn't there. The only things in the clearing were herself, her sword, and her crackers. "Great, she murmured to herself.

The other girl had taken her things.

Ellie was angry, furious. But this was the Games, and no one was truly kind without some ulterior motive. She sighed. She had to be more aware of her surroundings, and her fellow tributes.

Ellie walked, directionless, past the clearing, leaving the hovers to collect the body-Jacob. It was funny, thought Ellie, in a kind of sad way, how fast others became nothing more than bodies.

Soon, Ellie heard water. Water! Her strength! Ellie ran towards it, ignoring how much sound she was making in the process, and dived in. She sped down the crystal clear, fast moving river, swimming with such an ease even professionals would envy. She felt her cuts healing, and butterfly kicked to the surface, jumping out of the water and splashing back in.

Her joy was cut short, however, at the shouts, and splashes that were not her own. She sunk deeper into the water, ears pricked just barely out of the water. She moved towards the sounds, intrigued, until she rounded a bend in the river, where the river shallowed, and narrowed into a stream. Struggling on the bank of the river, Ellie saw the famous career, Aria, fighting with Hazen. Both fought with a animalistic fury, and it was...petrifying. Frozen, Ellie dived back under the water and sped away, coming to the surface onto to hear a screech coming from the west, which was equally matched by Aria and Hazen's shouts, which rang through the air, and was followed by silence.

Ellie knew she couldn't hide in the water; it was too clear. So, Ellie climbed out, tired from the day, and drank some of the water. The cold water burned down her throat, but it satisfied her thirst. She walked until she found a tall tree, and climbed to the top.

Ellie gasped. The arena was beautiful. Far in the distance, were the bordering mountains, whose great height was matched only by the mountains behind her. On the ground, closer, but still far, was the Cornucopia, where a lone career stood guard of their supplies. Ellie looked up to see the end of the death reel, where the final face, Bianca, shown in the sky. Ellie climbed down the tree, and lay in a fork in the middle. She relaxed, staring at the sky as the night froze around her. She lay in the divot, comfortable enough that she knew she wouldn't fall. She buried herself in her blanket, and fell fast asleep, awaiting the next day.

* * *

 ** _District 5 (Delano)_**

Delano stood calmly as his platform rose into the sky above. The glass glistened, its clarity betraying the metal and gears on the other side. The secret workings of the Capital, the secret mechanics that made the other worldly technology seem like magic. But it was never magic. And only those being sent to their execution could ever be let to see that.

The ride to the surface seemed like an eternity. And maybe it was. Maybe his was the deepest tunnel, and tunnel to the center of the Earth, and by the time he would make it to the surface, the Games would be over. But that was absurd. And this imagination could not be afforded in the Games, where every second he would have to be alert.

Every. Possible. Second.

For 3 minutes he had been rising to the surface at a slow, steady pace. For how many more, he couldn't know. He closed his eyes, and sat, trying to count doubles to calm himself. His father, a brilliant genius (Who hid his genius, if only to protect himself and his family from the atrocities geniuses were forced to do) taught him to count doubles when he was nervous. Well, he was certainly nervous. But, like he said before, time could not be spared only to relieve "stress". Every second mattered, and he could live through stress.

1, 2, 4, 8...64, 128...512...1,024..

He wanted to continue. It gave him sort of peace, one that he feared he wouldn't ever get to have again. But he had to think smart. Or smartly, he said, correcting himself.

Before the Games started, between trainings (and even during) he had studied each and every Hunger Games in the last 30 years. He watched which tributes won, and he saw what they all had in common. Tip 1. Be determined. If you had no will to win, or do what was needed, then you were nothing in the Games.

Suddenly, his scalp burned with the heat of the sun above him. He opened his eyes, and heard the booming sound of a monotone countdown, which of course had audio counting, along with an obnoxiously large number hovering in front of his face.

Delano knew this was the most important part of the Games. The countdown, where you safely had the opportunity to look and analyze your surroundings. And the bloodbath, where, like he and his half-sister, Emily calculated, an average of 40% of all tributes died. Both of them were not going to charge into the Corn, unless they had good reason.

"48, 47, 46..."

He sighed, enjoying the non-blood tainted air while it lasted. He ran off his plan in his head, his tips, his warnings. Through the Games, he needed to remember them, everything he had learned from the past Victors.

Tip #2: Do not charge headstrong into the Cornucopia. Unless you were a Career.

Delano shifted on his plate, trying to see amid the harsh glare from the sun. He saw no bags in front of him, only a few a couple tributes down. But, alas, they had there eyes locked onto their treasure.

Tip #3 Avoid confrontations at all costs. You can find more supplies. You  
can't find another..you. Especially if you are dead. Only fight if you have no choice.

He knew he wouldn't be able to get those bags. But it didn't matter. He knew how to build traps, and knew all about edible plants and animals. He knew how to make a quick, easy to build camo tent, and even knew how to make a spiel.

Around half of the previous Victors won by staying on the defensive most of the Games, staying hidden, out of mind. That's what he would do, and what he had already started with his Interview. Unremarkable.

Therefore, he had practically attacked every nature station during training, almost ignoring most weapon training. He knew he couldn't become a master in 3 days. And he was notorious for failing at anything that required strength. So he didn't waste his time.

But with the amount of weapons sprinkled around, Delano wished he had at least TRIED something. Would it have hurt, that instead of making the thousandth fire, he threw a spear, for once?

Maybe. But maybe not. He couldn't rewrite the past.

"25, 24, 23..."

Tip #4: Don't think about anything for too long.

Delano looked for anything in reach, anything at all that would allow him to defend himself in the slightest. With a knife, just one, he could make a spear. A slingshot, a meal. All he needed was knife.

In front of him, all he saw were swords. He swore, but tried to look collected. If he faltered, any respect would disappear underneath him, and, like shattering ice on a lake, send him to murky depths below. Or in his case, Deaths.

"12, 11, 10..."

Last ten seconds. He needed to think. After he collected supplies, he could try to find a big, thick tree to climb. Wouldn't be so hard, right? With it, he could make a shelter, spears, even get water, and meat from squirrels in its trunk. He would remain there for a day, then move to another tree, and on, and on. The gamemakers would see him moving, and he'd be alright. At least he should be.

He took a deep breath, and focused on a single blade in front of him. Ready...set...

Gong

Go.

He dived forward, scraping his elbows, and grabbed the knife. He scrambled up, terrified of the showers of blood and malice of battle that would take place here. Almost slipping on the grass, he pelted the ground with his shoes in a desire to simply get away.

An arrow flew towards him, scraping his arm. Delano cursed. What if it got infected? His plan would be ruined!

He ran through the woods, tripping over dead logs and, once, a..baby cow? A calf? That was interesting. There was no end to the oddities of the gamemakers, and cows in a forest were nothing special. What was interesting, however, was the extra burst of speed he found when a bull barreled towards him, making a straight, clear path through the woods.

Delano eventually lost the bull, which seemed to morph into a large Minotaur as he ran. He zig-zagged through the trees, trying to find one that would fit his purposes.

After the darkness settled on the arena, and Delano lost all sight, he finally found-well, crashed- into his new found home. A giant tree, so large that his arms couldn't even make it halfway around it. He smiled, and promptly turned around.

He found a large stick, from which a spiel would be formed, one that he would use to get water from any of the trees. While walking around the tree (which he decided to call Sequoia, after the huge, extinct trees from before the Capital), he found a slit in the bark, rather large, but small enough his skinny frame only barely managed to fit through.

Stepping inside, however, he was amazed. In the tree, he found that it was hollow. There seemed to be enough wood just inside the bark to bring nutrients from the roots to the top, but something, whether it be fire, animal, or human, had hollowed out the perfect home.

Delano could barely contain his excitement. He went back out, and found a large bush, which he uprooted and dragged to his new home. He planted it in the ground just as the moon hung high above him. He spent hours trying to hide his home, and had to have faith that it would hide it just as well in daylight. And that he would, himself, be able to find it.

Tip #5: Don't lose your home!

He settled into the tree, fixing the bush so that if he lay on his stomach, he could peer out under it, but no one on the outside could see him. He smiled. This was easier than he thought.

Suddenly, he heard a crunch, the breaking of a stick. Delano gasped, and held his breath. He didn't need any memorized tips in order to know that he couldn't make a sound.

Two tributes emerged from the undergrowth, silently pushing grasses out of the way. Delano almost gasped again, only containing himself at the last second, but he cringed at the sounds he had made.

It was the Death Twins, pale and ghostly in the dim moonlight. They were mouthing words to each other when they entered the clearing, a silent conversation, but they stopped. Delano wanted to scream, to shout, to curse, at least, but he knew he couldn't. Maybe it didn't matter, though. She was staring right at him. The girl, at least, had heard him. Her pitch black eyes locked with Delano's, somehow. Delano was terrified. It felt like all the joy was being sucked out of him. Was that her? Her icy gaze destroying any warmth inside him? Or was that just terror. True, bone chilling terror?

But nothing happened. Her brother stopped, but she turned her head, and whispered that it was nothing. He nodded, and the two started away, creeping through the undergrowth. Delano was petrified, stuck in his position, not moving until he felt a rumble in the ground, and a deep silence in the wood. He was cold, down to his soul, even though the tree insulated him. He felt that he had just seen a ghost. Maybe that was it. Maybe she was ghost.

But that was absurd. Don't be absurd Delano. Logic. Logic. Logic...

That was the most important thing.

But logic wouldn't help his terror. The stress. The pain. He lay on the dirt floor, the mangled roots, trying to sleep, but he fitfully turned and twisted, trying hard to convince himself that he was at home. But there was no pillow out here, in the Games, not tonight. Logic wasn't a pillow, nor a muffler. It was just like glasses, clearing the world of fuzz, leaving brutal clarity.

So he lay, all through the night, with the chilling howls of tributes and monsters, tears running down his cheeks as he cried in silence.

But in the morning, the tears were gone, forgotten, on a hard face. Even when he knew the Capital was pitying the others, their favorites, rooting for his death, he would not cry. Never again. Not here.

* * *

 ** _District 6_**

Alex Mint breathed in the soup-like air as she rose to the balmy surface. Gosh, she thought, if they are going to kill, us, can't they let us die in air conditioned peace?

The supplies of the cornucopia were littered around the metal husk, just like a giant spilled trash can, full of goodies to steal. Alex watched the others, laughing as their eyebrows furrowed in concentration. They were obviously going to charge into the cornucopia, blazing towards the careers waiting arms-or, should she say, weapons.

She, she wouldn't. She would not charge into the cornucopia, where over a quarter of the tributes died, consistently, every year. She wasn't a child of Athena, like Delano, or that blind one, Emily, but she was blessed. She wouldn't disgrace that.

"43, 42, 41..."

Alex, though she was certainly nervous, looked around. She looked towards Delano, trying to see what he and the other girl were doing. They were both standing tall, seemingly unfazed by the surplus of gifts in front of them. The girl, however, was staring straight at a bag 2 feet in front of her. Alex gasped, almost stepping off her plate. How..how could she see? She was blind?!

"29, 28, 27..."

Alex shivered, her nervousness distracting her from even the unbearable heat. They seemed so..in control. She had to look that way.

She took a deep breath, and recounted her plan in her head. First, she would grab any supplies she could in a 15 foot radius. No farther, or she risked serious, wound causing confrontation. She was fast, a thief, a daughter of Hermes. That part should be easy. At least in her mind. Next part: run as fast as she could into the woods, and after a short distance check her bag. If she didn't have water, find some. If she did, find shelter. Then wait for the rest of the day, holed up, avoiding any tributes. Sounded simple enough.

"10, 9, 8..."

As the timer counted down what could be the very last seconds of her life, Alex expected to feel...something. Maybe have her life flash before her eyes, maybe a vision of her father, something.

But all she felt was ice. Cold, icy silence.

"5, 4, 3..."

The world crystallized around her, every detail becoming clear. All sounds stopped, with only her beating heart left ringing in her ears. She felt...alive. Full of energy. All her worries faded, insignificant now. She could do anything.

Gong

She jumped forward, tearing through the grass to get to a large bag, handle poking out of the greenery. She snatched the pack, but suddenly felt the soft swish of a sword tearing through the air to get to its target. Her.

She slid, knees scraping on the ground, and she narrowly avoided a career, apparently set on her destruction. Her skin glowed, and she felt a wave of fury. How dare he. How dare he attack HER!

She jumped, higher than she had ever before, and twisted, sending a roundhouse kick towards the career, Ashton. Eyes blazing, she collided into the ground, landing in a kneel. The career was stumbling backwards, his hands reaching for his fallen sword. Alex smiled as she saw a tribute dash towards it, swinging it off the ground, before being attack by another tribute. She stood, and walked towards the career, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She picked up a set of knifes, and wrapped it around her waist. A arrow came shooting towards her, and, upon hearing the twist of air, Alex flipped backwards, letting the arrow fly underneath her. It blasted towards career, slowly making its way across the field towards him. He screamed as the arrow tore through his leg.

Alex smirked, but she felt the power fading. The fight didn't seem as glorious, and she remembered that this wasn't just a fight. She would be hunted. She twisted around, ducking underneath a spear that flew above her head. She grabbed a pack of crackers, previously hidden in the tall grass, and tripped forward, hands brushing the ground as she tried to run forward. Her skin had lost its glow, and the adrenaline seemed to run out. She felt deflated as she ran, overcome by a sudden wave of exhaustion. The whip like branches of the trees around her whipped her face as she ran through the woods, and pain that she had previously been able to ignore began to feel like fire. Welts covered her face and arms by the time she finally fell, tripping over a root in the rough undergrowth.

She, with shaking arms, pulled herself up, crawling towards a tree as the bright sky darkened with night. The bark was rough, but she pulled herself up. Ok, Alex. Step 1, get somethings from the Corn. Step 2, run to the woods. Ok, kinda completed. Step 3, check supplies, find water. She was so tired, she had to tell herself exact instructions in order to it right, without falling asleep. She unzipped her pack, and found, what she thought, at least, what was likely the best bag in the whole arena. She found day's worth of dried meat, a big blanket, and-the real prize of the day- a water bottle. Full! Alex almost cried as she drank a few precious sips. She wouldn't die. Not today, not tomorrow, not even the day after. She would survive.

She smiled, and wrapped herself in her blanket. The warm blanket lulled her quickly to sleep, and sleep she did, with dreams of her fame, the after games.

* * *

 ** _District 9_**

Briana took a deep breath, and stepped into the glass shaft that would bring her to the surface, where 23 other tributes stood. She cringed as the door closed behind her, encasing her in the tomb. Small spaces weren't her strong suit. She couldn't use her super speed in such tight quarters, with so little manueverability. She Looked through the glass, watching the metal panels slide by, when suddenly she was hit by a wave of heat. She looked up, squinting at the bright sunlight, as she rose into the Half-Blood Games arena.  
The air was thick, so much so that Briana was sweating the instant she broke the surface. Her eyes took their time to adjust, but when they did, Briana immediately took in her surroundings. She tried to find any advantage, anything that she alone could get to, or any shelter that would be hard to spot. The lush plant life surrounding the arena was thick, like the air, almost jungle like. The trees were large, with leafy branches spreading over the forest, like a deep green sky. Briana listened, but surprisingly couldn't hear any birds. Were there no animals? Or were they all silent, something to unnerve them?

Because it was certainly unnerving.

The large, holographic numbers hovered in front of her, numbers spinning into oblivion before the next one came into view. 40, 39, 38...

Briana honestly didn't think she had that great a chance to win. Sure she had scored higher in training, but she had never actually killed anyone or even touched a weapon. Her best chance was to avoid conflict and super speed away whenever possible, but she couldn't do that forever. Eventually they'd catch her. But it's best not to think of the probability of her impending death. Or the fact that her crippled mother was home alone right now watching. Because that's all this was, one big show. Time to put on a smile and at least make this entertaining.

Briana looked at the other tributes, trying to figure out her competition. She could super speed to get anything close by, but she didn't want to risk any chance of a fight with either careers or strong tributes. If she was left weak, her only strength would disappear.

To her right was the small tribute Jason, and Briana smirked. He was weak, somehow, even being a child of the Big Three. She wouldn't kill him, but he wouldn't-couldn't- hurt her. Even without superspeed, she could probably outrun him to get to the supplies.

The supplies. There was so much, so much that she could get! On the other side of the cornucopia. There were swords and shields and spears and knifes towards the mouth, where the careers would take residence. But, upon seeing her side, Briana groaned.

2 backpacks, a blanket, and 2 swords. That was it. And with around 8 tributes on her side, it would not be enough.

"22, 21, 20..."

Brianna sighed, and looked to her left. She hoped that having a weak tribute on her left would make her feel better, but upon turning, she found that the boy standing next to her was...Noah. Noah, the career from District 4. Briana groaned, and Noah glared at her, annoyed.

Really, Briana? You pissed off a career, and the games haven't even started yet!

"10, 9, 8..."

Briana was thrown back from the world of thought at the countdown. Tense, she braced herself, preparing to leap off the plate, to super speed for the backpacks. She watched the others, and saw many tense up, although one girl was laughingly distracted, staring at a career.

Briana focused, and the world silenced around her. She stared intently as her goal, preparing to lunge at the slightest sound of the capitals signal. 3...2...1...Go!

She sped forward, and to anyone watching, it appeared as if she had disappeared. She raced towards the biggest backpack, running faster than she ever had before. In almost an instant, she reached the bag and slung it on her shoulder. She turned, about to run towards the other bag, only to find that another tributewas already making a grab for it. . She cursed, and turned for other supplies, but couldn't see any though the chaos and violence.

Briana spun around, forgetting other supplies, and ran towards the woods. She dodged an arrow, only to collide with a tribute, Kara Shade. She spun out of control, as hitting something while going fast is like getting hit with a boulder. Briana stumbled, falling to the ground. Seriously? She thought, Now? Now was when she made a mistake? Kara was tripping backward, looking at Briana with a wide eyed expression, not having expected a tribute near her. Briana leapt up and before Kara utilized her sword, and swept up the other tributes blanket. Briana ran, sticks hitting her face as she pummeled through the woods, trying to put as much distance between her and the corn as possible.

After stumbling through the woods for around a half hour, Briana collapsed against a tree, out of breath. The temperature was steadily dropping, and instead of a hot, 100 degree arena, it was now around 60 degrees. Briana took out her blanket wrapped it around her shoulders. It was a light blanket, and she hoped it wouldn't get much colder. If it did, then, well, she'd have to manage.

Briana opened her bag, looking inside at her goodies. "Woo, Jackpot!" she exclaimed, before shushing herself as birds rustled in the branches above. "Oops, that's right. Quiet."Briana almost laughed aloud at the absurdity of this. So much tension, so much suffering, so people could have a good TV show. Well, it would certainly be a show. 3 people had already died, and certainly more would pass tonight. But Briana knew she wouldn't be one of them.

She was getting distracted again. In the bag she had grabbed, there were crackers, dried meat, and even a knife. Brianna smiled. She had a weapon, and enough food to last her a few days. She laughed, and, mud colored blanket on her shoulders, started trudging through the woods. After a few hours, Briana was exhausted, but she had found a perfect tree for shelter. She climbed it cautiously, ears pricked for any sign of her fellow tributes. She climbed higher, and higher, where the air was even chillier. She eventually found a spot where the branches split, which had resulted in a small area where she could curl up and sleep. It was lined by small branches, which Briana wove in a barrier, albeit weak. And as the cold of the night swept across the land, Briana wrapped herself in her light blanket, and slept in her tree home.

* * *

 _ **District 11**_

Emily hated being blind. It was such a disability in her situation. But her mother was the great Athena. She could manage.

She had to be directed onto her platform, where she held her hands out, brushing her fingers against the cold plastic-glass walls. Although she was blind, she knew when she had reached the surface. Compared to the cool air of the underground below, the surface was scorching. She analyzed what she could sense, from the winds to the sounds of the environment. She felt the hot sun on her head and skin, and knew, that based on the fact that it was always day when the tributes were sent in, and that the heat seemed to come from directly above, that it must be noon, or around so. She felt the warm winds, and knew that, therefore, they must be in a wide clearing, and the very faint Whish she heard could only come from a tall grassed field. She turned her head to her left, and clucked her tongue, very slightly. It was a method of "seeing" that her father taught her. Similar to a bat's echolocation, she sent out small sounds, and somehow (she didn't fully understand it) she detected the waves of sound as they were reflected back from whatever they bounced off of. It helped her create fuzzy images of her black surroundings, although it was a bit short ranged.

Emily saw- or felt- that next to her was another tribute, older, and perhaps larger than her, but that didn't matter, as she was small compared to the others. They were poised in a track like position, preparing to bolt. She knew that this was a powerful tribute, but she could do nothing about her placement, and it wasn't efficient to whine.

She thought about if she would try to get anything. She needed something...but she had a 40% of dying if she went for the things inside. She thought that maybe, maybe if she went for something on the edges, then she would be alright.

She put it out of her mind, and turned to her right, and saw a average sized tribute, a boy, with short hair, looking like a statue. His face set in grim determination. Emily was shocked at how clearly she could see him, but maybe that was because he stood so still.

"24, 23, 22..."

Emily tried breathing deep breaths, trying to calm herself. If she was too tense, then how could she concentrate? She counted to ten, along with the countdown, trying to focus. If she focused, if she focused...

She looked up, although it was more for her mouth and ears position rather than her eyes, and clucked her tongue. She knew it was short range, only a few feet, but she hoped that maybe the Gamemakers were merciful, that maybe they would give her some supplies. Faintly, she thought she detected a large...something. Roughly oval-ish, spherical-ish, only a bit away from her.

"5, 4, 3..."

It was her only chance. Get it, and turn around. Don't stay. That was how she would survive.

Gong

She stepped off of her plate, and grabbed the bag. She couldn't run very well, from her obviously lack of sight. She was able to slowly jog, keeping low as the grasses brushed by her face. She hoped that she was close to something, something that she could use for shelter, like a tree, or a ca-

Crash!

Emily fell backward, alarmed. What, or who had she crashed into? She tried to go back, before, if she had crashed into a tribute, her enemy attacked her. But she only ran into it again. She pulled forward, but someone was clinging to her bag. Emily was terrified, and knew that any of the tributes could overpower her. She got on her hands and knees and tried to push forward, then rolled over and crushed whoever was on her bag. She heard a gasp for air, and smiled. She rolled off, and prepared to run, but something caught the strap of her bag as she tripped towards what she hoped was away. Suddenly, a horrifying Ripppp tore through the air. A weight was lifted off of her back, and she immediately turned, grabbing whatever she could from the ground, clicking through it all. She found a pack of...something, and a knife,. She picked it up quickly, hissing as she cut her hand, and swung it towards where she thought her attacker was. She walked slowly, backwards, towards where she thought she felt a brush of cool air, which could come from a forest. She nervously  
walked towards a direction she hoped was away from the fights, listening carefully for any sounds.

As soon as she felt that she was in the woods, she started running, tripping over branches and logs. She had to get away, far away. So she wouldn't lose anything else.

She ran until she hit a tree, headfirst. She felt the cool air getting colder, and knew she needed to find shelter. She felt around the tree, and saw that it was average sized, but it was warbled and wrinkled, with many footholds. Emily knew what type of tree this was, and she knew that it would be tall. So, she took off her jacket, and wrapped it around the trunk, holding the sleeves in each of her hands. She used the jacket as leverage, climbing the branchless tree trunk until she reached the point where the thick branches split from the trunk. She climbed a bit higher, and sat between three large branches. She put on her jacket as the temperature dropped.

She giggled. She did it. She survived the first night. Tonight, more will die. By tomorrow, she will probably have a 1/14 chance of surviving, using basic terms. And this was only the first night.

She could survive.

Even if she was blind.

Even if the odds were not in her favor.

* * *

 ** _District 12_**

Hazen stood on his platform, sweating in the heat. He looked towards the other tributes, looking desperately for Bianca. She was his only priority. She, and hopefully him, had to get out of here alive.

"55, 54, 53..."

Turning, he found Bianca, standing on the pedestal next to him. He smiled, thankful that the gamemakers had put him so close to her.

In front of him, there were a few supplies, though most noticeably was a dagger, perfectly similar to what he had used in the practice sessions. He sighed in relief. He had a weapon within arms length. Maybe he wouldn't die.

Looking back towards Bianca, he could see she had a spear literally right in front of her feet. She stared at it, almost in shock.

Hazen smiled again. Maybe the gamemakers actually wanted them both to survive.

"30, 39, 38..."

He looked farther around, at the area around him. He was surrounded by plants. He was, at heart, a gardener. Plants and Bianca were the only things that ever listened to him, that ever seemed to care. But Bianca only loved him because they needed to survive together. And the plants, as he had recently found out, was because of his mother, who was a plant goddess, apparently.

If he was normal, then what would he be? Alone, dead?

Not on the streets. Not here.

"10, 9, 8..."

But now was not the time to be depressed, to long for things in the past that could've been changed. If I want to survive, with Bianca, I have to be strong.

Hazen steadied himself at the sound of the last few numbers, preparing to lunge and grab the knife before he would spin around and race towards the woods with Bianca. He quickly look towards her, only to see the strongest tribute in the game right next to her. Aria.

Hazen dived towards the knife, picking it up before trying to spin towards Bianca. He prayed that Aria wouldn't attack her. Before he could run to help Bianca, however, he was attacked. The girl from 2 charged towards him, swinging with her knife. Hazen, scared out of his mind, swung blindly, slashing at her arms. She kicked his shins, and she shouted, before slicing her face. She ducked, but turned and ran. Hazen, breathing heavily, heart thumping, turned around.

Only to see the love of his life cut to the ground by a knife thrown by Aria.

Bianca. The one he had relied on his entire life outside his family.

Bianca, daughter of the war goddess, the one who Hazen thought could win the games.

Bianca, the only one who mattered to him.

The first one killed.

Hazen stood amid the chaos, shocked as her body was trampled by fleeing tributes. He stood, knife out, and walked towards Aria, sweaty hands making difficult to hold his weapon, tear filled eyes making it difficult to see.

Everything seemed silent, as he saw Aria kill Bianca over and over and over again.

Seeing her die, over and over again.

A knife twirled towards him, and he crashed back into reality, falling towards the ground as he stumbled towards Bianca's body. Her eyes gazed upwards at him, unseeing, devoid of life. He held her in his arms, shaking her, trying to see what had happened, why it had happened. Tears spilled over, running down his cheeks, dripping on her face. He sobbed, ignoring the fights around him, just as they seemed to ignore him. He shook her body, trying to convince himself that she was sleeping, not dead. But her eyes rolled towards him, gazing into oblivion, before his tears obscured his vison. The grief filled him, spilling over the walls he had built in his mind, trying to protect himself from what had just occurred. He held her cold hand, and sung, softly, to her, the one he loved.

"Say something..." Sobs racked his body, his voice ringing oddly through the sounds of war

"I'm giving up on you..."

"Ill be the one...If you want me to.." Bianca...

He stood, staring down at her. He wanted to kill himself, fall on his knife and lie beside her, but what would that do?

Wouldn't she want him to win?

Right? To avenge her? To save their district?

He started walking away from her, trying to stop the tears, but the image of her, the memories...

"Anywhere, I would've followed you"

He saw Aria running towards the woods, and something cracked inside him. He saw her, the killer, the murderer, and he started jogging, running, chasing, storming.

He looked back once, staring at the girl on the ground behind him.

"Say something, I'm giving up on you"

Hazen walked through the woods, following the girl-monster- tears drying on his cheek. He walked silently, staying just out of sight, but every time he saw her, the image fell into his head. A wonderful friend, jumping off her platform.

"And..I am feeling so small"

An axe, swinging towards her.

"It was over my head"

Bianca. Running.

"I know nothing..at all"

A knife, spiraling towards her.

"Say something I'm giving up on you"

The tears kept flowing, but it didn't affect him anymore. He was numb, nub to pain, exhausten, numb to sadness. Aria trudged to a stream, and Hazen was forced to act. He climbed a tree, waiting to drop on her. He hesitated, for a second wondering if..if Bianca would want this. But her fierce attitude in his memories steeled his resolve. She would do the same.

Bianca.

"And I will stumble and fall"

He crawled above Aria, as she climbed out of the water.

"I'm still learning to love"

His shadow fell over her, and she stood poised. Hazen watched with sadness. He knew, in his heart, he would likely die. But he had to. For her.

"Just starting to crawl"

He let the tears flow again, full force, as he fell towards Aria. His heart was the only sound he heard, other than shouts, but they sounded distant.

"Say something I'm giving up on you"

They fought in slow motion, but Hazen fought as hard as he could, as fiercly as he could. Just like Bianca.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you"

He and Aria moved towards the water. She was a daughter of Poseiden. His heart sank. He would die.

"Anywhere I would've followed you"

Hazen shouted at her, shouted his pain, his grief, his fury.

"How dare you!" He cried, and started to lose the will to fight. She was dead, she was dead..."How dare you, you little-"

A punch to the face.

"Say something I'm giving up on you"

He felt a stinging on his arm. Aria had scratched him. But he was unfazed.

"And I, will swallow my pride"

"You killed Bianca!"

He wreslted her to the ground, and sat up, knife above his head.

He sat, hands above his head, but everything hit him. His elbows bent, his hands sat on his head. He couldn't hold back. Her. Gone. Bianca.

"Say something, I'm giving up on you"

Bianca's death, mocked by thousands. Entertainment.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you"

He saw Aria move, and he swung down, not caring anymore. She twisted, and he saw a flash of light. He turned, and hit her.

He fell back.

"And anywhere I would've followed you"

Hazen was numb. Everything was a waste. He sat on his knees, sobbing, hands on his face, while Aria lay in front of him. He felt something warm on his legs. Something red.

"Say something, I'm giving up on you"

He stood up, hand to his belly, and walked slowly towards Aria's axe. He picked it up, and shuffled through the woods. He Walked back to the cornucopia, steady, walking through the night. His hand was covered in warm blood.

"Say something, I'm giving up on you"

He was tired. Tired of fighting. Grieving. Crying.

He saw Biancas's body still on the ground. Not questioning why it was still there, he walked towards her. He sat, looking at her, trying to remember the good times, but his mind was sluggish. He lay down, and held her hand. He closed his eyes, and imagined Bianca, alive, sitting with him under the stars, like back home.

"Say something..."

* * *

 **Wasn't that interesting? I will start posting Death Lists and Alliance Lists either in the next chapter or the chapter after the next. Also, Emily's use of very primitive "echolocation" is in fact possible, if practiced. The part of the brain the process Vision and hearing are "programmed" to work a bit differently, through training. For example, there was a boy whose eyes were removed (to do a disease, or cancer) and he could ride bikes, skateboard, and even play basketball. It is limited, and there are mistakes, but they can detect fuzzy outlines.**

 **Enjoy! Fav and Review! Feedback Welcome!**


	7. Sorry!

**Authors Note**

* * *

Sorry for the long hiatus. I guess I got caught up in the "Ill do it tomorrow" mentality. I will be continuing the story, however, and if I'm too busy during school, and can guarantee you it will be done by the end of summer. Shouldn't take that long though.

Anyway. Ill try to move on with the story, hopefully as fast as I can. I cant promise a steady schedule, but it may be days apart ( I'm on spring break now) or months.

So yeah. Sorry.


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